Growing up with Xander
by dbzgirlxo
Summary: Bulla got pregnant in high school, gave birth, and is now living on her own. Goten's the father but he's also married to Valese, provoking a whole lot of bitter from the mother of his child. Will they ever work it out? Because everyday, the little boy is growing. Rated M, just in case! I don't own any artwork!
1. Chapter 1

**For anyone who's curious. The ages are listed below. They're pretty accurate but I may have made a slight adjustment or two:**

Bulla: 19

Pan: 18

Trunks: 30

Goten: 29

Marron: 25

The characters will age as the story progresses though! Enjoy!

* * *

It had been fourteen months since Bulla Briefs had given birth to her first and only child. She was newly nineteen, living in a small but comfortable apartment in West City. The blue haired girl had always been headstrong, determined, and of course, stubborn. When she became pregnant during her last year of high school, she told her mom that she wanted to live on her own. She felt bad enough after revealing that Goten, her brother's best friend since forever was the father. Goten was about ten years old than Bulla which only seemed to make the situation worse. Her father was furious after he found out and left the house for about a week before returning. She had planned to go to a fashion institution in Paris, she planned to study there and eventually graduate. Of course, doing this with a baby in tow just didn't seem too appealing to the young fashionista.

She traded in her dreams for a bib and a bag of diapers. Sure, after she moved out her parents did start to talk to her again. Why wouldn't they? She was her father's little princess and the spitting image of her mother. They couldn't possibly hate her. Her brother had a bit of resentment but he got over it and forgave his sister for her "mistake" that she made and took responsibility for. Things should be great, shouldn't they? Wrong. You see, Bulla and Goten had broken up for a month after she discovered she was pregnant. She was acting distant, trying to conceal the entire thing from him out of fear and he tried to figure out what was going on, continued to ask. Bulla wouldn't budge. Therefore, they ended things and Goten eventually rekindled things with Valese, his first girlfriend of five years.

The blue haired girl was beyond angry, especially with the pregnancy hormones racing through her and to make things worse, before she had the chance to tell Goten about their unborn child...He and Valese were engaged. They tied the knot only three weeks later. Bulla chose not to attend. Bulma and Trunks went, however. But she begged them not to say anything. She pleaded. Vegeta kept his distance, of course, wanting nothing more than to attack the boy who knocked up his daughter and married another woman. The Son family had witnessed Bulla pregnant, at least Chi Chi did. It raised eyebrows but nobody questioned and much to Bulla's disappointment, Goten didn't either. Perhaps they thought they were being polite.

"Mama!" A pudgy boy clapped his hands together, bouncing and making noises from his high chair. His eyes were a wide blue and his hair was thick and black, spiked messily against the top of his little head.

"Yes, munchkin?" Bulla smiled and strolled over to lift her son up, crinkling her nose at the sight of his food's current placement. He had smashed peas all up his arms and a trail of pink yogurt all along his mouth. It made the young woman wonder how it was possible.

"Did you get any of that in your stomach, Xander?" She huffed and set him on the counter, reaching over to grab a paper towel. "You know, I'm starting a new internship next week and I don't know what I'm going to do with you!"

"Gammy!" Xander cooed with excitement, his now clean hands tugging at his mothers red v-neck.

"Grandma is very busy, XanXan. She has a super important job."

Xander seemed to pout at this but continued to find amusement in his mother's shirt. Bulla knew that her son loved visiting her mother, Bulma. She took him shopping and spoiled him rotten whether it was with toys or ice cream. The little boy didn't mind one bit and he probably received that trait from her. She smirked at the thought. Bulla had always been a shopaholic. It drove her father crazy and made her own mother proud.

"Mama! Down!"

"Okay, okay." Bulla shook her thoughts away and set the boy on the floor, watching him waddle as fast as his little legs could get him to the front door. "We're not going anywhere today, sweetie. Mama has tons of papers to fill out for her new job."

Xander seemed to pout at this and Bulla only smiled, knowing that he also got that trait from her. She had pouted her way out of so many situations that it wasn't even funny. Or maybe it was at the memory of her dad's expression at the time.

_~ All the other kids with the pumped up kicks, you better run, better run. ~_

"Hello?" Bulla put her mobile to her ear, grinning at the voice on the other end. "Pan!"

"Hey, B! What's up?"

"Just finished feeding Xander some lunch. Let's say that more of it landed on him than in his mouth."

"Betcha loved that." The tomboy on the other side of the phone chuckled. "Anyway, the world tournament's coming up soon. Everybody's coming. You should too."

Bulla paused at this, twirling her hair. Even though she wasn't a fighter, she did enjoy watching her family and friends compete. Still, she was hesitant and her best friend knew why.

"Look, B, the place is huge. I'm sure you won't run into Uncle Goten. Plus, we haven't hung out in a month. I miss you."

"Ugh! But what if I run into him, Pan? I'll lose it."

"You're Bulla Briefs, you're stronger than that." She reassured her.

...

"Fine! I'll go but if one dramatic, soap opera-like scenario occurs, I'm leaving!"

"Gotcha. Bring Xander, he'll love it!"

"Will do. It's naptime though, I'll call you later. Kay?"

"Sounds good. Love ya!"

"Love you too! Bye."

Bulla folded her arms across her chest and sighed heavily. "What did I just get myself into, Xander?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**So, here's chapter two! It's a bit longer than the last and remember, the story has just begun. Review if you would like to read on!**_

* * *

The next week went by way too fast for Bulla's liking. She had her pros and cons about every situation that was taking place. On the bright side, she had started her internship at the fashion academy, working for the top designer in West City. The blue haired girl had filled her closet with the woman's clothing all throughout high school. It felt weird working for others, almost wrong but Bulla knew that despite how spoiled and pampered she might have been, growing up meant doing somethings that you didn't want to do. Her parents helped out most of the time but she did have to do somethings for herself. After all, it was her idea to move into her own place.

Still, there was the cons. Today was the day of the infamous World Martial Arts Tournament. She had promised Pan that she would attend and knew there was no backing out of it now. Stubborn as ever, the young heiress couldn't do that to her best friend. So after some mumbling and stomping around, the nineteen year old took a shower and began getting ready. This wasn't a simple task, however. Miss. Bulla Briefs had a very complex ritual for getting ready for these types of things.

_1. Shower._

_2. Blowdry on cool while gently combing through her blue locks._

_3. Choose what to wear. Today, it would be a pair of black skinny jeans, a red sequined tank top, and a pair of matching red stilletos._

_4. Apply makeup, according to outfit choice._

_5. Spray hair with only the finest hair product and slip on her favorite red headband._

_6. Spray on some perfume._

_7. Pose in the mirror for quality effect._

Once this ritual had been taken care of, she walked to her son's small bedroom and lifted him from his playpen that he was beginning to outgrow. He was slowly but surely learning how to tip it over with a bit of force. A few squirms and kicks later, she had him dressed in a little red polo and a pair of matching black jeans, she also slid some small red converse on his feet.

"Well, don't you look handsome?" She grinned and poked his tummy, receiving a giggle in return.

"Gammy!"

"Yes, sweetie. We're seeing grandma today." Bulla kissed his cheek before resting him on her hip and walking out to the hovercar her mother had given her for her last birthday. "In you go." She set Xander in his carseat and strapped him in before walking around to get in on the driver's side.

The Saiyan Princess took her time as she flew out to the island that she had visited a few times before, watching her father and brother fight in the tournament. The first time she had gone, she had only been about five but remembered it all too well, nonetheless.

She and Pan had agreed to meet near the sign-up station, where she had already been registered for weeks. It wasn't like her best friend to miss a chance at fighting. It's what her constant training was for. Sometimes, Pan was just one of the guys and aside from the feelings of anxiety and butterflies in her stomach, she was excited to hang out with her.

A month away from each other was far too long for the two of them.

As the the hovercar landed and came to a full stop, Bulla withdrew her keys from the ignition and peered into the mirror to check her hair. Sure, she might have been stalling a little bit but looking good was a priority.

"Mama! Out!" Xander squirmed in his carseat. The kid was far too smart for his own good. "Out!" He whined.

"Okay, munchkin. Chill out." Bulla sighed and stepped out of the car, reaching over to unbuckle her son. "There. Is that better?"

Xander only smiled and played with his mother's hoop earrings as she rested him on her hip.

"Bulla!" An enthusiastic voice called from behind her, followed by a set of running footsteps. "You're here!"

The blue haired girl turned around to see her best friend, standing there in an orange tank top and a pair of plain jeans, her signature orange bandana tied up in her hair.

"Hey!" She grinned and momentarily forgot about her anxiety, hugging her friend as Xander simply stared between the two.

"He's getting so big!" Pan grinned and waved at her little cousin before pulling Bulla by the arm. "Come on, we're going to miss seeing the competition."

Remembering why she had been so nervous, Bulla nodded slowly and exchanged a look of uneasiness between her best friend.

"It'll be fine, B. You worry too much."

"If you say so." She huffed and readjusted the little boy on her hip before following after Pan.

The crowd of people standing around weren't too impressive and it was obvious, judging by the grin that spread across Pan's face. When you grew up around Super Saiyans, there wasn't much that could impress you. There were a few bizarre sights though, like a man wearing nothing but a tight, spandex pair of underwear for a costume or a bleach blonde guy, constantly blowing kisses to the people around him. Nope. Not much had changed.

"Gammy!" Xander bounced up and down in his mother's arms, holding his own out in front of him.

"Huh?" Bulla rose an eyebrow but answered her own question when she spotted her parents and Trunks making their way over.

"There's my handsome little man!" Bulma exclaimed, rushing over and taking her grandson into her arms. "And my gorgeous daughter." She winked and pecked her cheek before starting to make silly faces at the boy. "We're so glad you decided to come."

"Blame Pan." Bulla smiled and looked over at Pan, who gave a small wave. "Hiya, Bulma."

"Hello, Pan. It's great to see you." She smiled the same as her daughter, before turning her head to look at Vegeta and Trunks. Vegeta was standing silently with his arms crossed and his son, inches taller than him stood at his side, hands in pockets with a smirk on his face.

"So, you finally noticed us?" Trunks joked and stepped forward to give his sister and Pan a one armed hug at the same time.

"They call this competition?" Vegeta finally spoke in his famous tone, his own smirk sliding it's way onto his face.

"Nice to see you too, dad." Bulla rolled her eyes and moved forward to wrap her arms around him, grinning as her father's face temporarily turned a bright red. "Did you say hello to your grandson today?" She asked, pulling back.

Vegeta gave a grunt before Bulma elbowed him. "Hello, brat." He crossed his arms again and began walking toward the stands.

His wife only rolled her eyes. "I had to threaten him with dinner to even get him down here. Once he found out that Goku wasn't fighting, it was the end of the world."

Bulla and Pan laughed a bit before the black haired girl glanced to her watch. "I better get going, guys. My parents are waiting already."

"Good luck!"

"Thanks and you better not go anywhere!" She called back, running off toward the stands.

"We should probably find our seats too." Bulma handed Xander over to Trunks, glancing down at her CC watch.

Trunks who was now tossing his nephew into the air and catching him, receiving several giggles, looked over at his sister. "Did Pan say if Goten would be coming?" He asked quietly, knowing how his sister reacted to the name.

"Yes." Bulla muttered and began walking to catch up with their mother. Trunks shook his head and followed behind, Xander on his shoulders.

"Excuse us! Watch who you're looking at like that, lady!" Came a much too familiar voice as they reached the stands. "Aw, come on, Chi-Chi. I doubt she saw you." Came another familiar voice, encouraging and kind.

"You've got to be kidding me, Goku! That woman was giving us the stink eye and if she thinks that I'm going to put up with it, she's in for a big surprise! I'm here to watch my granddaughter's match and I don't need any distractions."

"Well, look who it is." Bulma smiled and placed her hands on her hips, looking between two of her best friends.

"What's it to you?!" Chi-Chi started before she turned around to see who was standing there. "Oh! Bulma! It's been ages." She hugged her before pulling back as Goku gave a grin and a wave to his old friend.

"Almost a year, hasn't it?" The blue haired woman smiled and motioned to Bulla, Trunks, and Xander. "I brought my clan. Where's the rest of yours?"

Chi-Chi and Goku smiled at the familiar faces before their eyes fell on the baby on Trunks' shoulders. "Oh, Gohan and Videl are wishing Pan good luck and I believe Goten ran off to find the hotdog stand. You know him." She waved a hand dismissively, still staring at little Xander who was tugging playfully at Trunks' hair.

"Gee, Bulla. He's gotten so big! And handsome." The older woman complimented, taking her seat. "How old is he now?"

"Fourteen months." Bulla smiled weakly, a bit surprised at the question. She never asked much about the boy before. Then again, he was only a few weeks old the last time she had brought him around.

"Well, he's lovely."

"Thank you." She nodded politely and took a seat beside her mother, watching her wave her father down who joined them a few moments later. One by one, they all sat down. The Briefs, The Sons, and even Krillin's family and Yamcha eventually joined them. The only one who had yet to make an appearance was Goten. Nobody seemed to comment on it though. They were far too busy catching up and talking among themselves. Well, Goku was talking her father's ear off as he sat in silence, throwing an irritated comment back every once in a while. She and Marron talked fashion, what was in and what was out. Chi-Chi and Bulma jabbered on about what they've been up to, while Eighteen listened silently. Yamcha and Krillin seemed to be amused by Vegeta and Goku. Trunks sat with Xander on his lap, laughing and playing with him while Videl and Gohan watched with smiles on their faces.

It wasn't a terrible time. It never was and Bulla was beginning to forget about why she had been so anxious, at least until two others made their way up the stands.

"They're over here, Goten!" A cheery female called, making her way over to the group with a smile across her face. Bulla slowly turned her head to see Valese, Goten's gi-...wife. Her brown hair was pulled back in a wavy ponytail and she was wearing a short yellow dress with matching yellow boots. Goten followed behind her, wearing his usual purple attire, a hotdog in his mouth and two in his hands. As she saw him, her heart could only speed up and she was tempted to stand up, grab her son, and leave. She told Pan that she wouldn't though. She couldn't. Instead, she sat in silence between Marron and Trunks while Xander still played, oblivious to the fact that his father was standing insanely close to him for the first time.

"There you are, son! Just in time. The first match is about to start!" Goku exlaimed enthusiastically, while Chi-Chi smiled at how easily entertained her husband still was.

Goten swallowed and sat beside Krillin, making a bit of space for Valese. "Sorry about that. The line for the hotdogs was killer." He laughed and stuffed another into his mouth, draping an arm around Valese who was still smiling.

"Aw, who's the baby?" She asked after a moment, causing Bulla to clench her jaw.

"Hm?" Goten turned his head to look, a chunk of hotdog hitting the ground as he spotted Bulla. "Oh. Bulla, Trunks, Marron." He nodded with a goofy grin, greeting them as coolly as possible. Which wasn't much.

"Hey." Trunks nodded at his best friend, taking his eyes off his nephew for the first time in twenty minutes.

"Hiya." Marron gave a small wave and smiled, gently elbowing Bulla who was grumbling to herself.

"Ow!" She huffed and forced herself to glance in Goten's direction, also spotting a curious faced Valese. "Hey."

"Er...Uh, how are you guys?" He questioned, his grin plastered to his his face as he noticed Xander. He didn't say anything about him, of course. No. That would have been far too awkward.

"Great."

"Good."

"Just lovely."

"Heh, good to hear!"

**"Welcome to yet another World Martials Arts Tournament!" **Everybody seemed to sigh in relief at this, Bulla being one of the first. No more uncomfortable conversations with the father of her child.

The first match was pretty short. It was between Mr. Spandex and Mr. Wannabe player. While the "player" was busy blowing kisses to his fangirls, Spandex managed to knock him out of the ring. He would be moving on to the next round. The second match wasn't much different. Another knockout caused by a distraction. Finally, in the third match Pan walked out, followed by a rather shrimpy guy. He was fast though and had a few moves that could have been impressive. Pan dismissed them all easily though and sent him flying through the air with a kick. He soon landed out of the ring and the match was over.

"Way to show em', hun!" Chi-Chi called as Goku laughed goofily beside her, obviously proud of his only granddaughter.

"Way to go, Pan!" Videl and Gohan waved, smiling at one another.

Bulla smiled and whistled at her best friend before waving as well. The others did the same.

Everything was fine. Ignoring Goten was surprisingly easy, until Valese decided to change that. The perky brunette slid her arms around his neck and pecked his cheek, moving over so that her legs rested against his. Goten only smiled at his wife, a small sweatdrop forming on his forehead. He obviously wasn't comfortable with the PDA but was way too polite to say otherwise. Before Bulla could stop herself, she rolled her eyes and stood to her feet. The daughter of Bulma and Vegeta couldn't just sit there and pretend that everything was alright. She was far too stubborn, not to mention too good for that.

"Get a room, would you?!" She placed her hands on her hips and walked over to Trunks, taking Xander from him before marching off, leaving everybody with their mouths open.

"What was that about?" Valese blinked cluelessly, her arms still around her husband.

* * *

"Bulla, wait!" Goten called from behind her, jogging after her as she stopped at one of the several concession stands.

"See, munchkin? Cotton candy's pretty cool. Huh?" She smiled and handed her son the stick of cotton candy that she had just purchased. His eyes widened at the sight of the fluffy food, his fingers immediately digging into it. Bulla chuckled slightly and sat him on one of the benches, making sure that he wouldn't tip over as she turned to glare at Goten. "What do you want?"

"Your parents are worried about you..." He trailed off, keeping a good distance between them.

"Oh? Are they? My parents understand, I'm sure." She took a seat beside Xander and ran a frustrated hand through her blue locks.

"Look..." He laughed nervously, bouncing on the soles of his shoes.

"No, you look! This isn't funny, Goten. You've known since the day that I started showing that he was yours! You knew it."

"W-What? This is what that's about?" He looked around in shock before his eyes finally rested on her.

"You are so oblivious!"

"How would I have known?" Goten asked helplessly, staring at the baby. "Y-You...You never said anything."

"Did I really have to?" Bulla stood again, hands on her hips. This was started and she was going to end it. "You knew that you were the only person that I ever slept with! You went off and you married that clueless bimbo two months after we broke up! What did you want me to do? Send you a special invitation? So, you look, you don't have to be a part of his life. I've gone over a year without you! It won't make a difference now."

Goten stood in silence for a minute, his mouth opening and closing again. He obviously didn't know what to say to that.

"Speechless? I would be too. Hmph!" The girl picked up her son who was busy playing with his cotton candy and headed for her hovercar.

"Bulla! You're acting crazy!"

"Just stay away from us!" She buckled the clueless little Xander into his carseat and handed him back his cotton candy before hopping into her seat and speeding off. Bulla Briefs didn't need a guy around to help take care of her child. She could do this on her own and Goten could live with his stupid little Valese.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for the reviews! And here's chapter three.**

_~DbzGirlxo_

* * *

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Xander. Happy Birthday to you! Make a wish, sweetie!"

The two year old leaned forward with wide eyes and began blowing at the candles with a bit of spit flying everywhere, causing chuckles from her family. It was a small but decent party at home. Her parents, Trunks, and Pan had attended.

She considered inviting Goku and Chi-Chi but figured they might have said something to Goten. Stubborn, Bulla still didn't want him around. It had been ten months and she hadn't budged an inch. Then again, neither had Goten. If he really wanted to be a part of their lives, he would have fought for it.

"Yay! Good job, Xander." Bulma smiled and leaned forward to assist him in blowing out the candles. Once finished, she kissed his pudgy cheeks before scooting over to let Bulla cut the cake. "You made this, hun?"

"Mhm." Bulla smiled, expertly cutting the chocolate cake with green frosting. "I've been taking cooking lessons on the weekends. They come here. It's totally convenient."

"About time she learned to cook." Trunks snickered and Pan elbowed him in the ribcage. "It looks delicious, B!"

"Can we eat already?" Vegeta grumbled to himself, provoking laughter from the people around him.

"Of course, dad. Here." She handed her father a large slice before sliding Xander's over to him. He wasted no time in digging in, his thick black hair falling into his eyes. His once spiky hair was slowly becoming tamer, almost silky like hers and it had been growing like crazy over the last month. The ends were still spiked, a bit like his father's but it was obvious that he took a lot from the Briefs.

"Yummy, mama!" He grinned and clapped his hands together, chocolate cake between his little fingers.

"Why thank you, munchkin." Bulla smiled and took a bite from her own cake while Pan devoured her third slice, Trunks on his fourth, and Vegeta already on his fifth.

"It's great, dear." Bulma winked, halfway through her first piece of cake.

"Glad you like it." The blue haired girl set her plate down, glancing to the corner of her apartment. "We should start on presents."

Xander gasped at the word presents and started bouncing in his highchair, cake all around his mouth.

"Ooh, open grandma and grandpa's first!" Bulma nearly squealed, walking over to grab a large square box wrapped in yellow paper with a blue ribbon. Bulla lifted her son from his chair and sat him beside the gift, watching as he pulled at the paper. Eventually, he had managed to get it all off and grinned at what was inside. It was a small jungle gym, slide included.

"Aw. It's great guys. What do you say, XanXan?"

"Tank chu, Gammy!"

"You're welcome, sweetie!"

The rest of the gifts were just as lovely. Trunks had bought his favorite and only nephew a cute little acoustic guitar. Pan brought a small orange gi, very similiar to the one that she, Goku, and Goten used to wear. It almost brought Bulla to tears, she pulled it together though. And last but certaintly not least, she had gotten him a new set of blocks and a brand new tricycle.

"Ride, mama!"

"Okay but only for a little bit. It's already way past your bedtime!"

Setting the excited boy on his new trike, he began to peddle off with a bit of help from a laughing Trunks. Snapping a few pictures, Bulla put her camera away and smiled to herself. It had been a pretty good day for them. A visit to the West City Zoo and a calm family party at home. She didn't have a worry in the world.

"I better get going, B." Pan hugged her best friend. "First year of college exams. Murder me."

"You'll get through it and when you're finished, we'll hit the mall as a reward."

"As I said, murder me." The black haired girl grinned and kissed Xander on the head before flying out the door.

Bulma glanced at her own watch, speaking up next. "We should probably get going too. We have a conference tomorrow morning." Trunks rolled his eyes at the thought and handed the sleeping Xander over to Bulla. "Later, sis."

Bulla waved to Trunks and quickly hugged her parents before they left, closing and locking the door behind them. She was alone. Well, sure, she had Xander but she didn't have another adult companion to talk with or snuggle up to during the night.

Shaking these thoughts away, she carried Xander to his bedroom and placed him in his new toddler bed, moving the rails up and tucking him in. She could clean up in the morning. At the moment, all she wanted to do was sleep.

As her head rested against the soft pillow, she heard her phone beeping from the nightstand. She slowly reached over and grabbed it, looking at the name on the screen. '**Goten**.'

**'Hope Zander had a great birthday...I'm around if you ever want to meet up! x'**

"Of course, he didn't even spell his name right." Bulla rolled her eyes and deleted the text before placing her phone back on the nightstand. As she moved to turn on her side, her hand grazed a book within the draw, the cover hard and smooth. Slowly sitting up, the blue haired girl smiled as she pulled Xander's bright blue scrapbook from the draw. She had been keeping all of his special and important moments recorded since his birth. One day, she could give it to him. So far, the pages contained photographs from his first bath, shots, steps, birthday, and now his second would be added. She had also made a page for his first tournament visit. Most of the pictures on that page were of Trunks or her mother holding him. Her family had been unbelievably helpful with Xander and of course, Bulla was thankful.

She couldn't help but to feel a little bad though. I mean, it was Goten who had hurt them both, not his family. It was a total bummer that they didn't get to experience being around Xander like hers did. Chi-Chi knew that he was her grandson, how could she had not? Goku may have even caught on a bit by now. Sure, Bulla Briefs had been a bit of a wild child. She loved to go out and she loved to look good while doing it, even if that meant wearing skimpy outfits. She never slept around, however. Goten was the only one. She didn't owe him anything.

If he wanted to see their son, he was more than welcome to come over and give it a try but he wouldn't. Bulla knew him, she knew Valese. He would wait for her to come to him and with her stubborness, the chances were slim.

Besides, with Xander, her fashion internship, cooking classes, and searching for a parttime job; A relationship seemed almost impossible. It was a bit saddening but it was true. Maybe she was making excuses because she still loved Goten. The thought of this made her glare at herself. She didn't need Goten. And with that final mental note, she set Xander's scrapbook down and closed her eyes, forcing herself to go to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

"Uncie Trunks! Come here!" A five year old called from the opposite end of the park, his arms waving wildly in front of him.

"I'm coming, kid! Relax." Trunks chuckled and jogged over to his nephew, sliding his hands into his pockets as he looked down at him. "Yes?"

The boy grinned, a one much too similiar to Goten's as a child and tugged at his uncle's sleeve, bursting with excitement. This had to be good.

"I wanna learn howta fly. Pwease?" He pouted, one much too similiar to Bulla's, causing Trunks to roll his eyes.

"You don't know how many times I've seen that look, Xan. Your mother's a pro at it." The purple haired man couldn't help but to grin anyway. The kid wanted to fly. He and Goten had been pretty eager when they were kids too but they were still a few years older than Xander. Then again, Pan had mastered flying by the time she was four. "Er...Fine! But you have to be careful. Bulla would have my head."

"Alright!" Xander did a victory jump before continuing to tug at Trunks' arm. "Now?"

"Why not?" Trunks picked him up and set him on a bench, sitting beside him. "It's more than just flying, Xander. It takes a lot of concentration and patience." Explaining this to a five year old seemed almost preposterous but he would give it a shot. It was no wonder Pan had learned to fly so easily. Goku had a great amount of patience and Pan had been training since she could walk.

Bulla wasn't exactly the fighting type. She had never been into it, therefore she couldn't teach her son much about the family trait either. Luckily, Xander being the offspring of two Saiyan hybrids already gave him an advantage in strength and potential.

"First, you should know what ki is." Trunks watched the boy's expression carefully, hoping that he wouldn't confuse him. Xander was sitting surprising still though, staring up at Trunks with wide blue eyes. "It's energy, basically. An energy that can give you the power to fly. You need to learn how to use and control it."

Over the next hour, Trunks explained the fundamentals to ki and flying, even giving Xander the chance to practice. The five year old was more than amused and would often blurt out how awesome it was when things were meant to be silent. For being so young though, he was extremely observant and focused a lot longer than Trunks originally predicted before he finally needed a break.

The sun was slowly setting and the sky was a shade of orange as the boy hopped to his feet, grinning as he spotted the ice cream man pushing his cart. The bells could be heard from miles away and Trunks could understand the kid's excitement. Anyone loved ice cream.

"Want a cone, kiddo?" He grinned, lifting him onto his shoulders.

"Duh!" Xander grinned as well and glanced down at the top of his uncle's head. "Uncie Trunks?"

"Yeah, sport?"

"Thanks for teaching me about flying."

Trunks smirked. "Don't mention it. Just don't forget who your favorite and coolest family member is."

"Courst not." Xander rested his head against his as they reached the ice cream man, Trunks pulling out his wallet.

"Two chocolate cones, please. Triple scoops on both." He handed over the exact cash and took the ice creams as they were scooped and handed to him. "There ya go, Xan."

"Yum!" Xander took the cone and dug in immediately, obviously inheriting the Saiyan eating habit. After a moment though, he stopped and tapped Trunks' head, staring curiously toward the other side of the park. "Uncie Trunks?"

"Yeah?"

"Who's the guy staring at us?" He held up a small hand and pointed out a man in light purple pants, a long sleeved shirt, and a harmless expression painted on his face.

"Goten?" Trunks lifted Xander off his shoulders and placed him on the ground beside him, glancing between him and his best friend as he slowly approached them.

"Eheh...Trunks, hey! I was just taking a walk. It's good to see you, man!" He stated cheerfully, glancing toward Xander who was licking away at his melting ice cream.

"Yeah, you too. Haven't seen you around since the barbeque a month ago." He grinned. "Valese keeping you busy?"

"Definitely. Married life is bizarre, heh. What about you?"

"You'd think you would be used to it after four years, bro." Trunks shook his head and licked his ice cream. "Work. I've met a few ladies, had some fun. They didn't keep my interest, if you know what I mean..." He trailed off and looked over at Xander then back at Goten. "Bulla was busy with work, so I offered to watch the squirt."

Goten's grin seemed to fade at this and he nodded slowly before holding out a hand to the small boy, his smile reforming.

"Er...Xander, this is Goten. He's uh...a friend of mine. Best friend actually." Trunks spoke for him and watched as the little boy held out a sticky hand to take Goten's.

"It's nice to meet ya, Xander!" Goten gently shook his hand before pulling back, grinning at the ice cream that was now on his hand. "Chocolate's my favorite too. Then again, I like most ice cream." He chuckled and Xander laughed, a smile forming on his small face.

"I love chocolate, strawberry, nilla, mint, pineapple..." Xander trailed off, incorrectly counting on his fingers. Goten laughed some more, ruffling his hair.

"You and me both, bud."

Trunks couldn't help but to laugh as well. It was a bit odd, having both of them there. Father and Son. His best friend and his only nephew. He wasn't sure how Bulla would feel about this and figured that he didn't need to tell her. She was a bit of a drama queen, ever since she could talk. She was skilled at getting him in trouble in seconds. It used to anger him to no end. He could only smirk at the thought now. The little brat.

"Do you wanna play?" Xander asked, bouncing on his heels with a dripping ice cream cone in hand.

Goten and Trunks exchanged glances. Obviously, both of the men were hesitant. Looking at his best friend though, Trunks couldn't say no. During the last five years, Goten had never had the opportunity to watch his son grow at all. Sure, it was partially his fault but they were there. What was the big deal in letting them play for a bit? Besides, Xander didn't know that Goten was his father.

After Trunks gave a nod, Goten grinned like a child and ran off toward the slide. "Well, what are you waiting for?!"

Xander grinned as well and took off behind him, his little legs struggling to keep up with the grown man.

The two of them played everything that was available. Swings, the slide, and teeter totter while Trunks sat and watched from a bench.. They even played tag for a little while. Xander was exhausted and fell into the grass, trying to catch his breath. "You're real cool, mister." He grinned before yawning loudly, his eyelids fluttering.

"You are too, little man. I think you're tired though." He chuckled and glanced over at Trunks who was already walking over. He picked up the worn out five year old and let him rest his head against his shoulder as he carelessly fell asleep.

"Thanks, Trunks...This was great." Goten nodded, turning to leave. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah, sure. Goten? Don't mention any of this to my sister." He shifted the sleeping boy in his arms. "She might freak out. You know her."

"Figured. It was nice anyway. Maybe I'll get her to sit down and talk sometime..."

"Sure. Anyway, gotta get him back home. Later." He lifted into the air.

"Later."

* * *

"Did you have fun with Uncle Trunks today, munchkin?" Bulla smiled as she tucked her son into bed.

"Uh huh." He yawned and cuddled up to his stuffed bear. It was plain but had a lot of meaning, Pan had brought it up to the hospital on the day he was born.

"Good to hear." The blue haired young woman sat at the end of his bed and smiled. "Meet any new friends?"

"Uh huh. He's old like Uncie Trunks though." The boy yawned again, holding his bear tighter. "Goten."

Bulla's blue eyes widened at this, her heart starting to race. She had trusted Trunks to take her only son to the park and he went and did this!

"Mama. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, did you meet Goten?"

"The park, I toldya already." He yawned again, staring at his mother curiously. "Mama, didn't chu have pictures of Goten afore? I seen them in the closet."

Her heart raced faster until it was almost pounding through her chest. "Come here, Xander." She sighed and wrapped her arms around him as he sat on her lap, looking up at her. "Mama knows Goten, sweetie...She's known him since she was a little baby."

"You were a baby?" He giggled before yawning again.

Bulla laughed a little, her heart still pounding through her chest. "Of course. I'm only Twenty-two, you know! That does seem kind of old to you though. Huh?"

"Uh huh."

"Anyway, Goten's just an old family friend of ours."

Xander nodded slowly, his black hair falling into his eyes. "Okay, mama."

"Great. Now, I think a certain little munchkin is tired." She kissed his forehead before setting him back down. Xander smiled up at his blue haired mother and rested his head against his pillow. "I love you, mama."

"I love you too, baby. Get some sleep." Bulla winked before walking over to the light switch and shutting it off. Just as the young woman was about to leave the room, a little voice stopped her.

"Mama?"

"Yes, munchkin?"

"Why aren't you and Goten friends no more?" He yawned, rubbing a small fist against his blue eyes.

Bulla frowned but quickly recovered, forcing a confident smile as she spoke quietly. "Sometimes friends grow apart, sweetie but it doesn't make you love them any less. You have a lot of totally amazing memories with that friend that you can keep with you forever. Sometimes they give you things that you're incredibly thankful for."

"Like presents?" His eyes were closed, his arms wrapped around his stuff bear as he began to very quietly snore.

"Kind of like that, hun. Like you." And with that she closed his bedroom door behind her and walked off to her own bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

"Well, what do you think?" Bulla placed her hands on her hips, twirling around in a silver strapless dress.

"It's nice." Her seven year old son yawned, leaning against one of the clothing racks. The two had been in the mall for hours, trying to find Bulla the perfect dress for her party at work. After two years of biting her tongue, she had managed to reach the top and was the new producer of one of West City's top clothing lines. Sure, there was still one person ahead of her in the food chain but as far as she was concerned, she had done it on her own. There had been several times where she had contemplated using her family's name to reach this point. She didn't though and that was definitely something to be proud of.

"You said the last three were nice." The blue haired girl huffed before playfully marching over to her son. Xander had been very patient through all of this but she knew that it was now running short. "I'm almost done, munchkin. Then we'll get ice cream and if you're real helpful, a nice new toy or two."

The blue eyed boy grinned at this before nodding his head.

"Great." She smiled and held two dresses in front of her, slowly lifting an eyebrow. "Now. Silver strapless, red spaghetti straps, or classy black."

Xander tapped his chin for a second, looking through the dresses. "The black one. I like black, like my hair."

"Black it is, sweetie." She held up an index finger before walking into the dressing room and changing into her usual attire. After handing the abandoned dresses to the dressing room attendant, she took her son's hand and walked up to the counter to pay.

"How come I can't come with you to the party?" Xander blew a strand of black hair from his forehead, swinging his hand along with his mother's as they exited the store.

"It's a grown up party, remember?"

"Meaning it's gonna be really boring." Xander grinned, receiving a gentle nudge from his mother.

"Hey! I don't call your parties boring, do I?" She smiled as they approached the toy store.

"Duh. My parties are the best. The last one had a water slide."

"I remember, I was there." She chuckled and shook her head before coming to a stop at the store. "Anyway, you'll be staying at Capsule Corp tonight with grandma and grandpa."

"I know, gramps said I could train with him." The boy's blue eyes widened at the sight of the toy store. "Woah! Look at this." He ran inside ahead of his mother, leaving her to shake her head before following after her excited son.

"What is it?"

"Only the coolest skateboard ever!"

"Since when does my son skateboard?" She twirled a piece of hair, her shopping bag now resting in the other.

"I don't but I'm gonna learn." He nodded eagerly, as though he were trying to convince her of it. In other words, he wanted it.

"Well, after learning how to fly, I'm pretty sure you can handle this." She kissed the top of his head, causing him to grin. "As long as it comes with a helmet. Now, go pick one out."

"Gotcha!" Xander ran off to the other side of the store, returning minutes later with a red helmet, three action figures, and a remote control car. "Can I get them? Please, please, please?"

"Mhm. There's no doubt about it. You're definitely my child." She laughed and rolled her eyes before grabbing the skateboard from him. "This is it for a bit, kay?"

"Okay." Xander nodded, hugging his mother tightly. "I love you, mama."

Bulla couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "I love you too, munchkin. Let's go pay for all of this before the line gets too long."

* * *

_**Later at Capsule Corp;**_

"Vegeta! Get the door, would you?!" Bulma yelled from her lab, scribbling away on a sheet of paper, a cigarette lit in her hand.

"What do I look like?! Some kind of servant?! This is what those blasted robots are for!" The Saiyan Prince grumbled, strolling over to the front door.

"Yeah yeah, hun. Just get the door!" Bulma chuckled, far too used to her husband's reactions.

As the man pulled the door open, his only daughter stood before him, his grandson bouncing on his heels at her side. "Hey, gramps. Look at my new car. Isn't it awesome?" He grinned and walked past him like he owned the place. Vegeta grunted and folded his arms, looking his daughter up and down.

"Your dress is too short." He stated plainly.

"Relax, dad. What are you worried about? That I might end up pregnant?" She teased and kissed his cheek before waving behind him to Xander. "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning, sweetie! Have a good sleepover. Love you guys! Bye!" And with that, she walked back to her hovercar, flying off.

"Just like her mother." Vegeta grumbled and closed the door, calling over his shoulder. "Bulma! Your grandchild is here!"

Footsteps were heard coming from the lab and moments later Bulma stood between them, smiling brightly. "There's my favorite little man!"

"Hey, grandma." Xander plopped onto the floor and set his car down, using the remote to drive it around the large living room. "Where's Uncle Trunks?"

"He's out with a friend, the last time I checked. I'll call his mobile later."

Xander nodded and glanced over at Vegeta. "Did I miss swarring?"

"It's pronounced sparring, runt and I've yet to do my own training this evening. The last thing that I need is you slowing me down. Hmph."

Bulma glared at her husband, hands immediately finding her hips. "You train every day, Vegeta! Spend some time with your grandson." The man opened his mouth to say something in response but the blue haired woman spoke first, again. "Or else you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight!" She smirked, turning her back.

"Grrr, fine! Come on, brat." He turned around and walked out the front door, a grinning Xander following behind him.

* * *

"Try to keep up." The Saiyan Prince smirked, taking his stance.

Xander observed his grandfather before copying his stance, his grin plastered to his little face. "Ready."

Vegeta didn't bother to make a move, he simply let the seven year old bombard him with a few kicks, hooks, punches, and even an upper cut. The boy was good for his age but he wasn't even a warm up for Vegeta. The man had been training for years and there wasn't a chance that this child would get a hit in. He didn't give up though, he quickened his pace a bit and tried different techniques.

Vegeta dodged them all without effort, not even a bit of sweat visible on his forehead, only a smirk on his face. Xander frowned after a while and lifted into the air, flying behind his grandfather in an attempt to confuse him. This was too predictable, however and Vegeta blocked that attack as well.

"Ugh!" Xander lowered onto the ground and folded his arms, pouting slightly. "That's not fair!"

"What are you whining about, boy?"

"I can't even hit you once!" He stomped his foot, much like Bulla would at his age when the man refused to play dolls with her.

Vegeta snorted mockingly at this, folding his arms in a calm manner. "I've been doing this much longer than you have, kid. I wouldn't take it personally."

Xander didn't say anything, he only frowned, his blue eyes narrowing.

Vegeta rolled his eyes, mumbling to himself. "Stubborn child, if you want to improve, start training with me." His infamous smirk reappeared as he stared down at his grandson.

Xander's frown faded momentarily and he blinked a few times. "Really? You mean it?"

"Yes, boy. I mean it. I do not play around though. You will be here on time or the deal's off. Got it?"

"Uh huh."

"Good." He grunted and walked toward the front door. "Stay in the yard or the woman will throw a fit." He warned before walking inside and closing the door behind him.

Xander grinned and fell back into the grass, lying there for a moment as he stared at the sky. The sun was setting and there were a few birds here and there. Out of nowhere though, a person sped through one of the clouds above him before heading in his direction. Jumping slightly, the seven year old sat up and stared, realizing that it was a man. Just seconds later, the man landed in front of him.

"Xander?" Goten lifted an eyebrow before smiling slightly.

Xander blinked curiously, looking the man over. "Goten!" He recognized who it was and hopped to his feet. "I haven't seen you in forever."

"A year is a pretty long time." He chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair. After the meeting at the park two years ago, Goten and Xander had only come face to face one time after. He had come over once when the little boy was playing video games with his uncle. Whenever Xander told his mother though, she always seemed sad and he didn't understand why. If Goten had been such a good friend, why did hearing his name make her upset? The last thing that the kid wanted to do was upset his mama, so he didn't ask much about Goten. Even if he was curious.

"What are you doing here anyways?"

"Oh, I was just stopping by to see Trunks. I'm guessing he's not here though, aye?"

"Nope. Grandma says he's with a friend." Xander explained.

"Ah, a lady friend probably." Goten chuckled and Xander stared at him.

"Huh?"

"Nothing! What's up with you, kiddo? You're getting big!" Goten grinned, almost painfully. His son was seven years old. It had been seven short yet long years since he and Bulla had split, since he had proposed to Valese and married her.

"Thanks. Mom says it's from the vegetables but I don't believe her." Xander shrugged and sat back in the grass, patting the spot beside him.

Goten glanced around nervously before sitting down beside him. "Yeah, I was never a big fan of veggies either. Yuck."

"Yup. Hey, Goten?" He picked at the grass, running his little fingers through it.

"Yeah?"

"You were friends with my mama, right?"

"Oh...Uh, yeah! Good friends." He nodded, a small sweat drop forming on his forehead.

"Why aren't you friends anymore?" He looked up at the older man, his blue eyes curious and almost sad.

"Look, Xander. I don't think...I think your mother should talk to you about this." Goten cleared his throat, uncomfortably.

"I don't want her to be mad at me..." The little boy trailed off, his eyes watering. "I just don't understand."

Goten couldn't help but to frown as he glanced over at the little guy, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I doubt she would get mad at you, buddy. We're still friends, alright? We just...lost touch over the years. It happens with grown ups." He lied.

"Lost touch?" He blinked, wiping at his eye.

"Uh huh, that's it. Just haven't had time to see each other...So it's uh, really nothing to worry about."

"Promise?"

"I promise..." Goten crossed his fingers behind his back before standing up. "I should get going and it's getting dark, you should go inside! Tell your Uncle Trunks that I stopped by?"

"Okay." Xander nodded before standing up as well. Goten wasted no time in lifting off into the air and Xander waved at his friend, then walking into the building.

* * *

_~ Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight, just a t- ~_

Bulla's phone went off, ringing and vibrating in her purse. "Just a sec, guys!" She smiled and took the purse, walking to an empty corner of the building. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me." Goten spoke from the other end, his voice less cheery than usual.

"This is a bad time." The blue haired girl stated immediately, a hand resting on her hip. "I'm at a thing for work."

"It'll just take a few minutes, Bulla. You're being ridiculous...I uh, I kind of stopped by Capsule Corp to see Trunks today and ran into Xander."

"..."

"I was looking for Trunks, alright? But this is getting old! He asked me why we weren't friends anymore and was close to tears. I'm his father, Bulla! And I haven't had the chance to tell him that."

"And whose fault is that, Goten?" She rolled her eyes, pacing back and forth with her cell against her ear. "You had the chance for the first two years of his life and you didn't take it!"

"You wouldn't let me take it! The least you could do is let him know that I'm his dad!" Goten rose his voice, something that he did very rarely.

"That would only confuse him. He's seven years old. End of story."

"I can't believe you! You're just as childish as you were in high school! If you would stop being so jealous of Valese and just let it go, we wouldn't have this problem!"

Her jaw dropped at this, her eyebrows furrowing angrily. "You jerk! You have a whole lot of nerve. I'm not jealous of your precious little Valese, okay?! If anything, she was just your second choice because you didn't have me anymore! It's called a rebound and it's not my fault that you married her! Guess you've made more than one mistake, huh?"

"I'm going to tell him." Goten stated simply, his tone calm again.

"Right. Good luck explaining that one, Goten. You know what? Forget it. I'll tell him but it won't change anything." She hung up before he could respond and leaned against the wall, sighing to herself. It couldn't be a secret forever, right?

* * *

**Once again, thank you for the reviews! It's my motivation and I hope the timeskips don't confuse anyone. There will probably be one in each chapter, if not every other. Just a head's up! Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Reviewers, thank you again! Also, I have considered flashbacks and I will be including some but I'm waiting for the right moment. It will be very soon though. xo Btw, prepare for a time jump in the next chapter. This will most likely be the last for a while.**

* * *

"You see, Xan...No! Xander, sometimes people make mistakes, I..." Bulla stood in front of her full body mirror, hands placed on her hips as she rehearsed what she would be saying to her son. So far, it was a total bummer. It had been exactly two weeks since Goten had threatened to tell Xander the truth and she was more pressured than ever to explain to her son why his father hadn't been in his life. He was seven years old, she wasn't sure how he would take it and it scared her.

He would be home from school at any moment and she wasn't sure what to say. Maybe she could wing it, as horrible as that may have sounded.

"I'm home, mama!" He called, the sound of the apartment door closing behind him. "Mom?"

Taking a deep breath, the blue haired woman stepped out of the bathroom and casually strolled into the living room, spotting her son. "Hey, hun. How was school?" She forced a smile and sat down on the couch, crossing one leg over the other.

"Good! I sat next to Kyle and Amy on the bus today, they want me to come over and play tag. Can you drive me?" He smiled and walked over to his mother, sitting beside her.

"Of course, sweetie. First, I needed to talk to you about something." She wrapped an arm around his small shoulders and pulled him into a gentle hug, her eyes bursting with worry.

"Are you okay, mama?" Xander looked up at her, resting his head against her side.

"I-I'm fine, perfectly fine. This is just really hard for mama to talk about. You're just so young..." Her voice was attempting to break but she paused, swallowing. "Xander, sweetie? Have you ever wondered about having a daddy? You know, a lot of kids have mommies and daddies."

"Kaylie from school only has a daddy, mama. I thought it mattered because of the person. Some people have one parents and others have both, right?" He looked up at her, his eyes curious.

Bulla sighed, running her free hand through her blue locks. "Everybody is born with two parents, sweetie. A mommy and a daddy. Sometimes parents fight and break up, sometimes the other parent just isn't around and it could be for many different reasons."

The little boy scratched his head for a moment, still staring up at his mother. "So, I do have a daddy?"

"Yes, you do. But before you were born, your daddy and I got into an argument and we were really mad at each other. It had nothing to do with you."

"Where's he now?"

"Your father? Well, he lives in close and you've kind of already met him."

Xander blinked. "I don't understand."

"Xander, sweetie, Goten is your father." Her heart raced as she spoke these words and she instinctively leaned over and kissed his forehead. "I love you."

"Goten's my daddy?" He asked calmly, much calmer than his mother though his eyes seemed to widen in surprise. "Is that why you have pictures of him?"

"Yes, I never meant for you to find those. Do you have any questions?" She asked, brushing some hair from his eyes.

"Why don't I ever see him?"

The question she had been dreading. "He's a very busy man, hun." There was no harm in fibbing a bit now. Xander knew who Goten was and that was all that he needed to know for now. He was taking it a lot better than she had expected though. Then again, what could he do? Bulla had been the only parent he had ever known. She'd done everything from day one and he was a total mama's boy.

"Can I go play tag now?" He asked quietly after a moment, his blue eyes staring up at her expectantly.

Bulla chuckled and poked his stomach. "Anything for my favorite son ever."

Xander laughed. "I'm your only son, mama!" He hopped up and ran into his bedroom, retrieving his remote control car and a pirate's hat. "Ready!"

"I thought you were playing tag, munchkin?" She rested her hands on her hips, her heart still attempting to calm down.

"I am and then we're playing pirates. Duh, mom." He ran to the front door. "Can we go now?"

Bulla playfully rolled her eyes before grabbing her car keys. "I'm coming, relax." On her way out the door, she took out her cell and sent a quick text to Goten, something she hadn't done in a long time.

**'I told him.'**

* * *

"Wait, so you told him?" Pan asked in disbelief, plopping down on her best friend's bed. She had come over as soon as Bulla had dropped Xander off at his little friend's house.

"I told him." Bulla sighed, falling back to lie beside her. "I mean, it wasn't a total disaster like I thought it would be but it still hurt me, even if it didn't hurt him."

"Xan's a strong kid, B. I'm sure he'll be fine. He gets it from us." She smirked and nudged her, receiving a laugh from the blue haired girl.

"When was the last time we hung out like this?" She asked, staring at the ceiling.

"Last week?" Pan grinned.

"No! I mean just us, the two amigas and whatever. When's the last time we hung out without a care in the world?"

"Hm, your senior year and my junior? It was right before you found out you were pregnant."

"Seven years."

"Yup, seven years." Pan repeated, also falling back to stare at the ceiling.

"Are we old?" The elder one sighed dramatically, huffing.

"No way! I mean, I'm twenty three and you're twenty four. That's so not old. Having a seven year old kid would make anyone feel old, B."

"I guess you're right. My seven year old kid is amazing though." She smiled and twirled a piece of hair.

"That he is."

"How are things with you and Charles?"

Charles was a guy that Pan attended college with. They were in the same year, both enjoyed martial arts, and seemed to adore each other.

Pan blushed at the question however and shook her head. "We're taking a break. I mean, it's been five months and nothing's really happened. You know?"

Bulla laughed slightly. "Try seven years without anything happening."

"You could have anyone you want, Briefs." Pan threw a pillow at her best friend. "You just have to get back out there."

"I'll think about it. _You _are the one who needs to get back out there, Miss. Not-A-Single-Mother."

"I'll think about it." She mocked.

"Funny. I'm hungry. Want some popcorn?" The blue haired woman sat up and took her friends hands, pulling her up before the two walked to the kitchen. "You know, Trunks has been eyeing you for the past three years."

"He has not!"

"He has so!" Bulla grinned and popped a bag of popcorn into the microwave before sitting on the counter.

"Whatever. Hmph." Pan leaned against the counter top, glancing over at her friend. "Is that your phone ringing?"

"Seriously? I'm so lazy today! Why do you think I'm wearing yoga pants?" She sighed dramatically before running back to her bedroom and picking up the cell from her bed. "Hello?"

"Hey, Bulla. I...Uh, I just wanted to say thank you for telling Xander." Goten's voice came in clearly.

"It's whatever, Goten. It's better that I told him. Is that all?"

"No...Er, I was actually wondering if I could see him soon, heh. It's just that...Valese and I are going to visit her parents in The States and I...We may be there for a while. So I wanted to see him."

Bulla chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before forcing herself to speak again. "You want to see him and then just leave?"

"It's not like that, Bulla. It's just...Valese. She sort of found out that she was pregnant last night and we're going to see her parents. She wants to be around them for this."

Bulla was shocked. Goten would be having another child, this one with his _wife_. Part of her was hurt. "You're aware that it takes almost ten months to have a baby, right? I can't just let you see him and then leave, Goten. I'm not doing that to him."

"It won't be the full nine months! It'd just be about three and then we'll be going back and forth from there. She's my wife, Bulla."

"I know and you should be there for her. Xander isn't used to being attached to people who leave him. I'm not going to start that now. I'm sorry, Goten. Buh-bye." She pressed end and slid the cell into her pocket. "UGH!" She shrieked as the microwave went off.

"Popcorn's done, B!"


	7. Chapter 7

"Xander Briefs! You're going to be late for school!" Bulla Briefs called up the stairs, straightening out her red dress. She had an important meeting today and didn't need to be late. Being the president of the top fashion line in West City had it's perks, however. She could get away with some things.

"I'm coming." Grumbled the fifteen year old boy, jogging down the staircase of their house. They had found it three years ago and from the moment she lied eyes on it, Bulla knew that it had to be hers. Plus, it was located in the city and was extremely convenient. "Why do I have to go today, anyway? It's a half day." The boy ran a hand through his hair, leaning against the counter.

"Excuse me?" Bulla lifted an eyebrow at her son who now stood at her height, if not a half an inch taller. His arms were muscular, as was the rest of him for being so slender. His eyes were still a bright blue, though weren't the same shape as his mother's. They were a mixture of Vegeta and Goten's. His hair was still black and as thick as ever, starting at his forehead and stopping down his neck in spikes. He was wearing a plain pair of black jeans and a red tank top, which he knew showed off the muscles he had trained for. There was no denying that he was handsome but he was a Briefs after all. "You have to go because it's school and getting your education is important."

"Yeah, yeah. Well, you didn't have to wait for me. I'm gonna skate with the guys today." He shrugged, kicking the skateboard into the palm of his hand.

"You at least need to have some breakfast. You're a growing boy." Bulla rolled her eyes at her son's newly developed attitude. It had been going on for about a month now. He was hardly home and when he was, his nose was in his cell phone that she had gotten him for his birthday this year.

"I'll grab something at school. You worry too much, ma."

Sighing, the blue haired woman folded her arms. She hadn't changed much over the years. Her usual long blue hair was cut a few inches shorter and her body had grown, specifically in the breast and bottom area. Her face was still extremely youthful, however. Though she was nearly thirty three years old, her Saiyan genes made her look as though she were still in her early to mid-twenties. "Vending machines aren't exactly a nutritious meal, you know? Fine. But don't forget to head over to Capsule Corp. after school, we're doing dinner." She leaned forward and pecked his cheek.

"Noted." He rubbed the palm of his hand against his cheek before grinning. "Later, mom!" And with that, he was out the door.

"Teenagers." She shook her head before grabbing the capsule to her hovercar and heading off to work.

* * *

"So, we're on for the club tonight?" A redhead boy with freckles walked alongside Xander, a shorter blonde at his side.

"Tonight? Man, I told you that my mom wants me to go to this dinner thing with my grandparents. She'll freak if I'm not there."

"Come on, Xan! This is the only night that Amy's cousin could get us the fake IDs!" The redhead protested, the blonde girl rolling her purple eyes.

"Leave him alone, Kyle. If he doesn't want to go, we can try again next week." She shrugged and smiled at Xander, receiving a very slight smile in return.

Kyle rolled his eyes as though he were used to this type of behavior from the two. It wasn't that Xander didn't want to go. He would love to try it out with his friends but he didn't know what his mom would do. She wasn't used to him skipping out on things and if he was so much as late, she would worry herself insane. Something told him that she got this from his grandmother. Bulma Briefs was almost the exact same way.

"Man, if I bail my mom will kill me. Probably literally." Xander paused as they reached the front of West City High School, kicking his skateboard up.

"Don't be a drag, Xan. She'll get over it. Parents flip all of the time. It's called tuning it out." Kyle retorted, grinning. "Come on."

Sighing, the black haired boy sat in silence for a moment. "Fine." He finally stated, giving a weak shrug. "My mom expects me to be there after school...I'll just tell her that there was a tutoring session or something. You're uh going, Amy?"

"Yes, I am." The blonde grinned, hopping onto her black haired friend's back. "I told my mom I would be at Mel's house."

"Mel? You haven't talked to her since last year." Kyle snorted, kicking up his own skateboard.

"Shut up! What was your excuse?"

"Didn't have one. My parents are so busy they won't even notice."

"That's rough, man." Xander shook his head before walking inside the school with Amy on his back.

"Hey, it gives me a lot of freedom, doesn't it?"

* * *

**Meanwhile at Bulla's office;**

"Miss Briefs? I need you to look over these papers?" The stubby secretary shuffled in her office, a stack of papers in her short arms.

"Oh, Margaret. Seriously?" The blue haired woman sighed dramatically before taking out her signature red pen. "Talk about bummer. What are these for again?"

"The meeting we had last week about sharing merchandise with North City Boutiques? They sent over their contract, it seems to be very large."

"No kidding." She huffed and picked up the first sheet of paper as they were placed onto her desk. "The sketches are impressive, don't you think? I'm not liking the guidelines though. Their fashion is far too high maintenance and trust me, I know high maintenance." She twirled a strand of hair.

"Yes, I thought the same. Perhaps I could schedule another meeting? We can try to change a few things in the contract. It's only fair." She crossed her arms politely, waiting for her boss' answer.

"Love it! Make it next week. Dinner with my parents tonight and Xander has a dentist appointment tomorrow afternoon. Which reminds me, I'll need all appointments after three rescheduled for next Monday morning."

"Of course, Miss. Briefs. Anything else?"

"Hm, page Alexandra and let her know that I'll need a model for next week's fashion shoot, if she's interested."

"On it." The stubby brunette departed the office and Bulla sighed, continuing to look through the papers. It was completely ridiculous. They expected her to read this all in one day? As if. Smirking to herself, she picked up her coffee cup and took a long sip, a picture on the corner of her desk catching her eye. Xander.

It had been taken on his tenth birthday. He was grinning widely while Pan stood behind him, holding bunny ears behind his head. Five years ago. Time really went by fast. Luckily, he had just turned fifteen and she didn't have to worry about him maturing anymore for a little bit.

"Such a stud." She smiled to herself before jumping as the office phone rang. "Ugh! Hello?"

"Er...Sorry? Um, I'm looking for a Bulla Briefs?" A much too familiar voice asked, clearing his throat after.

"Yes, this is her. Can I help you?" She tapped her manicured nails against the desk, already knowing who was on the other line.

"It's...me, Goten. Heh." Of course it is.

"Obviously. What's up?"

"Uh, I'm back! Valese is still in The States with her parents and the twins."

"The twins?"

"Heh, yeah. Our daughters. Gogena and Valecia."

"Right. So, I don't mean to sound rude but why are you calling to tell me this?"

"I thought maybe we could sit down and talk...I could maybe see Xander."

"..."

"I know what you're thinking, Bulla! I was out of the country for seven years but I'm ready to change that now. I got an apartment in West City and a job and I'm here to stay."

"So, tell me. Why now?" She twirled a strand of hair, just waiting for the response.

"We're filing for a divorce..." He paused. "It's just better that I'm away from the house for a while. I'll be flying back for the court hearing but that should only take a few days. I'm here to stay."

What did she say to that? "Oh, sorry." Her voice softened just slightly. "I'm at work, Goten. Papers to sign."

"Uh, yeah! You do that. So...about Xander?"

"We'll see." And with that, she hung up and sighed. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

**After school;**

"Do you think Mrs. Zawoski is married?" Kyle chuckled, strolling out of the building with Xander and Amy at his sides. Amy rolled her eyes and Xander laughed slightly, shaking his head."

"That would explain the wedding ring, dude."

"I didn't look past the chest."**  
**

"And this is why you're flunking Biology, Kyle." Amy wrinkled her nose, nudging Xander. "Sure you're going to do this?"

"No sweat." The boy slid his mobile phone from the pocket of his jeans and dialed his mother's number, waiting as it rang.

"Hey, sweetie. What's up?" She answered, the sound of rustling papers and wind in the background.

"I don't think I'll be able to make the dinner at Grandma's tonight..." He trailed off.

"Why's that?" The rustling stopped and there was the sound of a car door shutting.

"Are you busy, ma? I can call back." He avoided the question.

"I'm just leaving the office, Xander. What's up?" She started her car.

"There's some tutoring in the library this evening. My Biology teacher suggested it..."

Bulla sighed. "You should go. How long is the tutoring? I could pick you up after dinner."

"Til..." Xander waved a hand at his friends, as they glanced between each other then shrugged. "Til...seven. Don't worry about it, ma. I'll have dinner at Kyle's and meet you home later."

"I don't know, hun...It's a school night. I think I should pick you up."

"Come on. It's just school work."

"...Fine but you better be in by ten o'clock. Got it?"

"Gotcha. Love you. Bye." He hung up and slid his phone into his pocket before running a hand through his hair. "Where are we getting the fake IDs again?"

"My cousin's at my house, I'll grab them." Amy reassured them, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "I'm gonna head home and change into something...cuter. Meet ya guys there?"

Xander nodded and Kyle gave a wave before the two continued walking, their friend strolling off in the opposite direction.

"What's up with you and Amy, man?" Kyle grinned, nudging Xander.

"You're kidding me, right? We've known her since the second grade, bro."

"Right but that doesn't answer the question."

"Shut up, man."

* * *

"So, why isn't my wonderful grandson joining us tonight?" Bulma sipped from her mug of coffee, a cigarette in her other hand.

Bulla sipped on her own. "Tutoring in the library."

Trunks, who was sitting across from them lifted an eyebrow. "Tutoring...for Xander? The kid's grades are great."

"Yeah, well, he said his biology teacher recommended it." Bulla twirled a strand of hair.

"Uh huh...Well, I have some filing to do. Later, mom. Bulla." Trunks stood to his feet and quickly shuffled out of the room with his cell phone in hand.

"What was that all about?"

"Men. You never truly understand them, hun."

* * *

"Ready?" Xander folded his arms as he stood outside the entrance of 'West City Nightlights', also known as the hottest club in West City.

"One sec." Amy pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of Xander and Kyle before smiling. "Ready. How's my outfit?" She twirled around in a skimpy pink clubbing dress, stumbling for a moment in her heels.

"You're gonna be able to walk in these all night?" Kyle laughed, nudging Xander. "Xan thinks you look hot though."

"I...Sure. Let's just go." He walked ahead of his friends, running a hand through his hair as they reached the front of the rope.

"IDs?" A large man asked, his voice deep and roaring.

"Oh, yeah sure." Xander pulled out his fake ID and flashed it to the club bouncer, who looked between the two before pulling the rope back. "Have a good night, Alejandro. You too, Nico and Charmaine." He winked at Amy who wrinkled her nose.

"Told you it'd be easy." Kyle gloated, immediately heading in the direction of the bar. The place was already packed with people dancing dirty, lights glowing and flashing, and couples making out on the top of tables.

"You guys aren't even going to dance with me first?" Amy folded her arms, following slowly behind them in her heels. "And Charmaine, really?"

"I don't dance and I'm guessing Xander here doesn't either, least I haven't witnessed it. Maybe after we're wasted."

Xander rolled his eyes and lingered back beside Amy. "Come on, just a few drinks."

"Okay." She sighed which was difficult to hear over the blaring music and followed her friends.

The trio took a seat at the bar and looked between each other, grinning at the fact that they were in an actual club, about to have drinks.

"A round of shots." Xander nodded confidently at the woman who would be serving them.

"Coming right up." She winked at him and Kyle before grabbing a bottle of tequila and distributing it into three shot glasses. "There ya go. I'm actually taking off. If you need more, the new bartender will be in soon."

"Thanks, toots." Kyle winked, receiving a laugh from the older woman.

"Smooth." Xander laughed as well, lifting his shot glass up.

"I try." Kyle clinked his glass with his friend's before hesitating. "Amy?"

Amy, who was busy watching the dancing crowd, turned back and lifted her own glass. "To my heels."

They all laughed and downed the shots, wincing slightly at the burning sensations in the back of their throats.

"Woo! I could use another!" Kyle tapped a hand against the counter. "Hey! Service needed!"

**Goten's POV;**

Being back around home felt weird almost. Goten figured that he would get used to it again, though. After leaving a place for seven years, it had to be different to return. He had applied at a few restaurants and casinos for waiter positions but had turned in the applications too late and ruined the chances.

Luckily, 'West City Nightlights' had been desperate for a new bartender and hired him on the spot, even without any classes. He _was _in his early forties now. Despite this, he looked about the same, if not slightly more muscular and tall. He didn't look a day over thirty and could thank his Saiyan genes for that one. Half of the girls at the club were hitting on him at first glance.

With the divorce going on with Valese and his struggles in his past relationship with Bulla, he wasn't really in the mood for any type of romance. Not even a one night stand. As he entered the building, the loud music and lights hit him like a punch, bringing back several memories.

**_Flashback_;**

_"Goten!" A seventeen year old Bulla huffed, giggling slightly as her boyfriend pulled her along the streets of West City. It was half past midnight and the two had been out all evening, much to her father's annoyance. "Where are we going?"_

_"To the club, remember? I told you I was taking you dancing." He slid an arm around her waist and pecked her neck before continuing to lead her down the street._

_"You could have at least given me a warning. I look terrible." The blue haired girl began fumbling with her hair and reapplying her lip gloss._

_"You always look beautiful, Bulla Briefs. Take my word for it."_

_She blushed slightly and scooted out of his grip, moving to slide her hand into his. "You're sweet sometimes, have I ever mentioned that?" _

_"Heh, well you kinda did now. You're sweeter though." He intertwined their fingers as she smiled._

_"I love you, you know that?" Bulla rested her head against his shoulder as they reached the entrance._

_"I love you too." Goten grinned and made every effort to stay close to her as the lights glared out of the club._

_Bulla looked between the club and her boyfriend, her fingers playfully running through his hair. "I don't wanna go dancing anymore."  
_

_Goten looked confused for a moment, scratching the back of his head. "Huh? You seemed excited earlier...Did I say something?"_

_"Nope." She shook her head, her blue locks tossing around her shoulders before she stood on tiptoes and whispered in his ear. "We can go clubbing anytime. Right now, I wanna go back to your apartment and I wanna be with you."_

_Goten blinked a few times, a large sweat drop forming on his forehead. "Heh, alright! What are we waiting for?" He lifted her into his arms bridal style and levitated off the ground, flying into the night sky while his girlfriend giggled in his arms._

**_End Flashback;_**

"Son Goten!" A loud man called from the back of the club, a cigar lit in his hand. "People are waiting on their drinks. Stop daydreaming and get your ass out there!"

"Oh, right! Sorry bout that." Goten shook his thoughts away before walking behind the bar counter, just in time to hear some teenager screaming.

"Hey! Service needed!" A redhead called, laughing obnoxiously with two other kids who were too busy making out to catch a glimpse of.

"Can I see your ID?" Goten rose an eyebrow, leaning against the counter across from the kid.

"Yeah, yeah." The unnamed redhead rolled his eyes before reaching into his pocket and taking out the hard piece of plastic. "There ya go."

"You're twenty one?" The Half-Saiyan questioned, suspiciously.

"What's your problem, man? We've already been served now get us our damn drinks before you lose your job."

"Watch it, kid." Goten sighed and turned around, grabbing the bottle of tequila and refilling their shot glasses before moving onto to some other orders, the kid's voice still audible as he did.

"Hey, lovebirds. Shots are up!" He exclaimed as his friends parted lips, grinning at each other. They all then grabbed their glasses and clinked them together, downing them.

"Glad you came now, Xander?" The redhead grinned, pounding fists with the other boy.

_Xander_. Goten thought, glancing over at the kids and nearly dropping his bottle as he did. The boy called "Xander", who was currently in the midst of sucking face and downing alcohol had the same hair and eye color as his son. Scanning him harder, he realized that their eyes were about the same shape, also resembling Vegeta's almost._  
_

His heart pounded in his chest and an almost unfamiliar feeling of anger rushed through him as he set the bottle down.

"Excuse me?" He walked back over to the group, setting the bottle of Tequila down. "I'm going to have to ask you all to leave. The ID's you're using were identified as fake. Nice try." He glanced between them all before his eyes stopped on Xander. "You, I need a word with."

* * *

"Oh, look, guys. We got a tough one here." Kyle chuckled. "Just fill the glasses up, man."

"You guys can leave willingly or I can get security and call all of your parents." Goten's eyes were still on Xander, who was now looking down, his fists clenched.

"Maybe we should just go..." Amy stood up, taking her heels off and carrying them. "Come on. It's getting late anyway..."

Kyle rolled his eyes and stood up as well. "What a buzzkill of a bartender, huh? Come on, Xan."

"No." Goten interrupted, using his hand to signal them toward the door. "I need a word with this one."

"Just go, Kyle." Xander finally spoke, glaring at the older man who stood before him.

"Alright, call us later." And they left, leaving Xander sitting in front of Goten.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" He raised his voice over the music, his eyes still on his son's face as though he were trying to figure him out. He hadn't seen him since he was seven years old and this wasn't the little boy that he remembered at all. "You're fourteen years old!"

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Xander yelled back, standing to his feet. "Fifteen, actually. Shows how much you know."

"Oh, what a difference!" Goten rolled his eyes, walking out from the counter to stand directly in front of him. "Should I call your mother or do you want to?"

Xander stared at the man in disbelief. He was gone for more than half of his life and just showed up and thought he could tell him what to do. "You've got a lot of nerve, old man. Mind your business and stay out of my life!" He pushed past him and began to move through the crowd, Goten tempted to follow behind him.

This clearly wasn't the kid that he had been expecting to come back to.

* * *

**Okay! So, review please!**

**1. What'd you think?**

**2. Are you currently Team Xander or Team Goten?**

**3. Thanks again!**


	8. Chapter 8

Tap. Tap. Tap. Bulla sat at her kitchen table, a red sparkly pen in one hand and a large cup of coffee in the other. It was nearly two in the morning and her son had yet to enter the house. She was worried, angry, and of course a little bit disappointed. What if something had happened to him? He was the only person she truly had.

_No, you can't think like that, Bulla._ The blue haired woman reassured herself mentally, continuing to tap her pen against the dark wooden surface. Just as she was considering pulling her cell out and calling the police, she heard a crash upstairs and jumped to her feet, grabbing a large kitchen knife and heading up the staircase. "Who's there?!" She called quite confidently, despite the fact that her nerves were clearly upset.

"Damnit..." She heard a whisper and then a few footsteps before the light in Xander's bedroom switched on. Setting the knife on the banister of the staircase, she placed her hands on her hips and walked into her son's room, just in time to see him standing there like a deer caught in headlights.

"Well, look who it is." She frowned, hands still firmly on her hips. "Where have you been?!"

"I-I told you, mom. There was tutoring..." He trailed off and picked up the football that he had obviously slipped on, causing the crash. The boy carelessly tossed it into his laundry basket before sighing.

"You're lying to me." Bulla walked into the bedroom and sat down on his rolling computer chair, arms folded. "You never lie to me and I'm so not planning to start now. Where were you?"

"Look, mom...I'm tired. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

"Oh, please. Don't give me that." She stood up again and walked over to her only son, looking him in the eyes. "You smell like alcohol. I'm going to give you one chance to explain and if you refuse, I have no problem taking everything out of here except for the bed."

There was a moment of silence, nothing heard except some cars driving outside the house and the t.v. going downstairs. Finally, he mumbled, staring down at the hardwood floors. "I went to this club with Kyle."

"You what?!" She stomped a foot, her blue locks angrily falling into her blue eyes. "You've got to be kidding me! You're not old enough to enter a club, let alone drink in one. Where did I go wrong?" Bulla began to pace dramatically, tossing her hands up over her head. "I taught you right from wrong. I told you what drugs could do to you and you...you go and do this!" She sighed, trying to calm down. "You're grounded."

"What?"

"Grounded. Yes, that's a totally new thing for me to say too. Three weeks. You'll go straight to school and come straight home, unless we're going to Capsule Corp. Got it?"

"Got it." He muttered, falling back to rest his head against his pillow. "Can I sleep now?"

"Mhm, I'd suggest you do seeing as you have to get up for school in five hours." She flipped her hair and gave a dramatic pause before switching the light off.

"Hey, mom?" Xander spoke after a moment, moving so that he was under the covers. "I ran into Goten today..."

Freezing, Bulla frowned and let out a gentle sigh. "Did you talk to him?"

"He kind of yelled at me, guess he works at the club. He's the one that kicked us out."

"He...what?" She blinked, quite honestly surprised.

"You heard me." He turned to lie on his side, facing the wall where she couldn't see his face. "I don't want anything to do with him, mom. He abandoned us."

"Well, that's up to you." Bulla momentarily set her anger aside and moved to sit at the end of his bed. "I understand you feeling that way, hun. I really do. Goodnight." She leaned over and kissed his forehead before standing back up and exiting the bedroom.

Sure, when she discovered she was pregnant, she never thought it would turn out this way. When she was younger, she always dreamt of having the perfect marriage, family, and life. Only a few of these things actually happened, marriage not being one of them. She had been the prettiest girl at West City High, not to mention the most popular. Every guy had wanted to date her but she had been with Goten and afterwards, she was just the pregnant girl. All of her friends, went off to colleges far away, aside from Pan and she started raising her baby while everybody else was out partying.

She had no regrets, though. Bulla loved her son unconditionally and was more than proud to call him hers.

Still, the thoughts of Goten always drifted through her mind. What would it have been like had they been together all of these years? She shook the thoughts away and walked to her bedroom, changing into a pair of pajamas and climbing into bed.

* * *

_**The next morning;**_

"Never again." Xander ran a hand through his black hair as he walked to school, Kyle at his side.

"It could have been worse, man. I mean...three weeks isn't so long." The redhead smirked, nudging his friend's shoulder.

"Yeah, easy for you to say. You've never been punished a day in your life, let alone grounded...Where's Amy?" He readjusted his backpack and stared in front of him.

"She said she'd meet up with us later. Why? Also, what did that weird dude say to you after we left last night?"

"Cool." Xander nodded, obviously avoiding the second question. The last thing he wanted to talk about was the run in with his father. "Nothing important."

"Liar."

"Shut up. The guy was my father, alright? He showed up out of nowhere. It was ridiculous."

"Woah. What?"

"You heard me, Kyle. It was my dad. His name's Goten and he's waltzed in and out of my life more than once. Can we let it go?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure, man."

* * *

"Miss. Briefs? You've got a call on line three." The stubby secretary poked her head into Bulla's office, a clipboard in hand.

"Thanks, I got it." She nodded and picked up the phone, placing it to her ear. "This is Bulla Briefs, how may I help you?"

"Uh, hey Bulla." Goten spoke from the other line, the sound of wind coming from the background.

"Goten." She instinctively furrowed her eyebrows before continuing. "You can't keep calling me at work. It's not very professional of me, is it?"

"I know, I know. Sorry. I was just wondering if you wanted to grab a bite to eat today and you know...talk."

"Xander told me what happened. Since when do you bartend?"

"It was the quickest job I could find in West City. And I didn't mean to lose my temper last night, Bulla. You should have seen the way they were acting."

"Goten, stop." She took a sip of coffee. "It's fine. You did the right thing. Thank you."

There was a pause after this, almost as though he were in shock. She had just thanked him and it had honestly been sincere, not sarcastic. That hadn't happened for a long time, even Bulla knew.

"Yeah uh, no problem. So, lunch?"

"Sure. We'll have to make it early though. Like say...now? Xander has an appointment this afternoon and I already cancelled all of my meetings for it."

"That works. How about the pizza joint down the street?"

"Sure. I'll see you in five." She hung up and stood to her feet, unsure of where she was going with this. Perhaps, she really had matured a bit over the years. Had Goten asked her to lunch a few years ago, she would have went into a rage.

Her stubbornness still alive and well, she considered not showing up but knew that it would only make things worse. So, after grabbing her handbag and reapplying some lip gloss, she walked out of the office and headed for the pizza place a block over.

The streets weren't too busy at this hour, at least not anything like they were near lunch time. The weather was nice and the blue haired woman was in a surprisingly good mood, despite the fact that her son had disobeyed her for the first time last night to go clubbing.

As she reached the restaurant where she had gone several times as a teenager, she paused, already spotting Goten's spiky hair through the clean glass window. This had been a place where they used to meet up, laugh, and flirt while Trunks and Pan watched in horror. It seemed so long ago now.

After taking a deep breath, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and walked inside, confidently strolling over to the booth that he was sitting at.

"Hi." She greeted him simply and sat down at the opposite side, her blue eyes shifting to the menu.

"H-Hey!" Goten smiled slightly, scratching the back of his head. "I already ordered a pizza, hope you don't mind."

"Nope, that's fine." She glanced up at him, her lips pursed in a way that said _'there's no way I'm going to be the one starting the conversation here.'_

"So, how are you?" Goten took a sip of his water and watched her carefully.

"Good, just busy with work and Xander. You?" She rose an eyebrow and took a sip of her own water, careful not to smudge her lip gloss.

"Working nights and uh dealing with this whole divorce thing." He explained, continuing after she didn't say anything in response. "They're working out the custody thing right now." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather wallet, flipping it open and holding out a picture. "That's Gogena and Valecia, they're seven and a half."

Bulla scanned the picture for a moment, her eyes taking in everything. There were two small girls standing side by side, grinning grins very similar to Goten's. Their eyes were black like his as well but they had Valese's brown hair. Gogena was dressed in a yellow sundress, her hair in pigtails while Valecia wore her hair in a loose ponytail, dressed in gi similar to the one Goten had worn when he was younger.

"They're cute." She smiled politely as Goten put his wallet away, grinning.

"Yeah, heh. Thanks...You know, I have one of Xander too." He paused as the waitress set their pizza on the table, smiling and walking away. "He's about four in it though. I think Trunks gave it to me out of pity." The spiky-haired man slid another wallet sized picture from his pocket and handed it to Bulla who immediately smiled, a genuine smile.

"He was five." She corrected him, smiling down at the image of her son, his face covered in chocolate ice cream as he grinned at the camera. "We went to the amusement park that day. I wore this gorgeous skirt. Anyway, he loved it. He wasn't afraid of any of the rides, my brave little boy. He did get a tummy ache, though. Too much ice cream...obviously..." She trailed off and handed the photo back to Goten, who was half-smiling, almost sadly. She knew him too well to look past it.

"Look, Goten, I wanted to say thanks again. It's not always easy being the authority figure, I know." She bit her bottom lip, scanning his expression.

"It's not that, Bulla. I appreciate it though. I just...I missed so much." He stared down at the large pepperoni pizza, shockingly without interest. When did you ever see Goten look this way toward food? Never.

"I know. You really have but there's still so much to see. He's only fifteen years old." She gave her own half-smile, grabbing a slice of pizza. "Dig in, will you? It's scary that you haven't already." The blue haired woman laughed slightly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Heh, you're right." He slapped three slices of pizza on his plate and smiled at the woman in front of him.

Bulla returned this smile and slowly took a bite of her pizza.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the heart at the moment to tell the man in front of her that his son wanted nothing to do with him at the moment, even after all they had been through.


	9. Chapter 9

"Go long, Xander!" A lavender haired man called, a grin plastered across his face.

His dark haired nephew jumped high into the air and caught the football easily, tucking it under his arm as he smiled smugly. "You're losing your touch, Unc."

"Or maybe you're just getting better." Bulla chirped in with a smile, looking between her only son and brother. They were having one of their infamous dinners at Capsule Corporation which meant that the evening would consist of laughter, tons of food, and some grumbling from her father. She wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

"OR." Xander went on, a smirk much too similar to Vegeta's on his lips. "He's just getting old and worn out!"

Trunks scoffed and nudged his nephew, lightly kicking the grass below him. "I was just going easy on you, kiddo. Let's not get cocky." He ruffled his hair before putting him into a headlock.

"Hey! Let go! Not the hair!"

Bulla rolled her blue eyes and strolled over to a lawn chair, sitting down beside her mother who was smiling and sipping an iced tea.

"What will we do with them, hun?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." The younger woman smiled and sighed in relief, crossing one leg over the other. "This is nice. I mean, we haven't all been together in forever."

"It has been ages, hasn't it? It would be a miracle if we could pull your father out of the GR for at least an hour. He'll come running once the food's ready." Bulma glanced over at her robots who were skillfully looking over and monitoring the barbeque grills.

"At least the food never goes to waste." Bulla laughed quietly to herself and reached over to grab her own glass of tea off of the small table that was resting in between them for convenience. "Are we expecting any other company today?"

"Chi-Chi might be stopping by for a bit." Bulma sipped. "She says it would be nice if she got a hold of Goten. He's back in the city, you know." The woman glanced over at her daughter, almost waiting for an outburst.

"Mhm...I know. We actually had lunch the other evening." Bulla tapped her perfectly manicured fingernails against the arm of her lawnchair, sighing almost much too dramatically. "I don't know, mom. I guess I feel kind of bad for him. I was always so angry that I could look past the rest of the big picture..."

She hadn't spoken to Goten since their little meeting that had occurred over a week ago and that was more than enough time for her to reconsider the situation. Come to think of it, she probably had been for the last five years or so.

Bulma only smiled, shaking her head. "It sounds like somebody has matured a lot since the two of you were last together."

Bulla smiled as well, almost mirroring her mother's with the similar resemblance. "Well, I'd definitely hope so."

The two women giggled at this.

* * *

Xander dropped the football on the fresh green grass, stretching his arms up above his head. "Where's Grandpa?" He asked, looking over at his uncle expectantly.

"You know him, Xan. Training as always." He nudged him before collapsing on the grass and lying with his hands behind his head.

"Should've known." Xander laughed slightly and did the same, sitting there silently.

"It's rare for you to be quiet, kid. Something on your mind?" The purple haired man lifted an eyebrow, waiting.

"It's...It's nothing really." Xander shrugged and ran a hand through his thick black hair.

"You ran into Goten, didn't you? And don't even thinking about lying, man. I know everything." He smirked.

"What? How do you know anything about that?"

"He told me. We've been best friends since before your mother was born. What did you expect?"

Xander simply shrugged and picked at the strands of grass before dropping them carelessly. "He yelled at me."

"I heard..." Trunks trailed off, tapping his fingers against the ground. "He means well, Xan. Goten has a heart of gold."

"Could have fooled me. I didn't know that the good-hearted abandoned their kids." He shook his head after a moment, as though he had said something forbidden, admitting that he was Goten's child. "I don't care. I really don't."

Trunks snorted, running a hand through his own hair. "You keep telling yourself that, champ. But I don't believe you one bit. I know you too well."

"Shut up."

"That's not very respectful of our elders, Xander. Do I have to put you in another headlock until you apologize?" He grinned.

"Sorry...It just really ticks me off."

"No kidding." Trunks slowly stood from the grass, holding a hand out for his nephew. "Being a parent isn't always easy."

Xander glanced up stubbornly and hesitated before grasping his uncle's hand and standing up. "How would you know? You're not a parent."

"Heh...Not yet." Trunks' cheeks tinged a bright red and a large sweat drop formed on the back of his head as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Xander blinked a few times before tilting his head to the side, much to similar to the way his mother did. "...Are you?"

"I'm starving, aren't you?" Trunks grinned nervously, starting to walk off as his nephew jogged up beside him.

"No! What's up?" He prodded, knowing that something was going on.

"Pan and I have been going out for about a year now, your mother may not have told you judging by the look on your face..." Trunks waved a hand in front of Xander's shocked expression. "Anyway, we're expecting a child. She found out that it's a boy just the other day."

"W-Woah. Heh, guess it was about time!" Xander laughed and patted his uncle on the shoulder before rushing over to the barbecue grills. "First dibs!"

"No way, squirt!"

* * *

"Dinner was delicious, mom!" Bulla smiled, gently setting down her fork.

"I only prepared the side dishes. You can thank the robobutlers for the rest." She chuckled and set down her own.

Xander, Trunks, and Vegeta glanced up in unison, their mouths filled with their umpteenth serving of food.

"You're welcome, boys." Bulma rolled her eyes playfully before standing up, hands on her hips. "We should totally do this more often. I love having all of us here and together."

Trunks swallowed, giving a nod of his head in agreement. "Definitely! Plus, it gives me reason to ditch the paperwork for a while."

"What are you whining about, boy?" Vegeta cut in, piling some more meat onto his plate. "You're always cutting corners. There is absolutely nothing difficult about filing sheets of paper!"

Bulla bit her lip to stop from laughing, feeling as though she were a teenager again, at the dinner table with her family.

The glare that she received from her brother only made the walk down memory lane more accurate.

"Oh, Vegeta, knock it off!" Bulma placed a large chocolate cake at the center of the table before sitting back down. "Running a business, a successful one at that can be very difficult."

"Yes, I'm sure wrist cramps and paper cuts are just agony!" The oldest man smirked, his grandson laughing beside him.

"Whose side are you on, Xander?!" Trunks nudged him playfully before reaching for some cake, only to have his hands slapped away by his sister.

"Ladies first." She winked and cut into the cake, placing a slice on her own plate, allowing her mother to go next. They both giggled at this and the men rolled their eyes, far too used to this kind of behavior from the two. Bulla was glad to be at home with her family. With all that was going on in her life and theirs, she was thankful that they made time to get together at all. Her mother and brother did all of the work at Capsule Corp. Her father trained constantly, of course. She was running her own company and Xander had the job of being an angsty teenager which he seemed to have down quite well.

Everything went as it normally did. Vegeta would often make insensitive comments toward the subjects they were talking about and Bulma would glare one of those intimidating glares that screamed _"Do you want to sleep on the couch?"_ Everybody laughed and finished their desserts as the sun outside slowly set.

"I thought Chi-Chi was supposed to be coming?" Trunks leaned back in his chair, tapping a hand against the table top. "I was hoping to see Goten."

"I haven't heard from Chi-Chi either." Bulma sighed, standing up. "It's not like her to miss a get-to-gether. Maybe I should try calling."

"Wouldn't hurt." Bulla shrugged and stood up as well, gathering a stack of dishes and handing them to the robobutler. She had never been one to do housework. Growing up, she had been as spoiled as possible. The only thing the blue haired heiress had been expected to do around the house was keep her room organized. This wasn't a problem, obviously. Bulla hated a messy bedroom. She liked everything to look orderly and presentable.

Sure, things had changed a lot since then. She was a mother and though she could just snatch up a robobutler of her own, she had learned to cook and clean for her and Xander. They were two people and despite her son's sometimes-or a lot of the time-messy habits, she had trained herself to handle it.

She twirled a lock of blue hair as she leaned against the wall, watching as her mother dialed Chi-Chi's number.

_"Hey, Chi-Chi! It's Bulma. Weren't you stopping by for dinner?"_

_"Uh-huh."_

_"You've got to be kidding me? Really?"_

_"That sure sounds like him. *chuckle* Another time then."_

_"Of course."_

_"Buh-bye."_

"Well?" Trunks tilted his head back to look between his mother and sister. Vegeta didn't seem to be too concerned as he was still chowing down on a plate of chocolate cake that he most likely swiped from another's plate.

"Something came up." The older blue-haired woman shrugged simply, eyeing Bulla. "Coffee in the family room, dear?"

"Sure..." The heiress trailed off before turning to Xander. "Don't run off anywhere. You're still grounded and we're heading home soon, kay?"

"Gotcha." The boy rolled his eyes, walking off with his grandfather and uncle.

"What was that about, mom? Is everything alright?" Bulla sat down on the sofa, folding her legs and staring at her mother with concern.

"Fine, hun. Everything's fine. I didn't want to say anything in front of Xander." She began, sliding a coffee mug off of the tray that a robobutler extended for her. "

Bulla did the same, her curiosity rising. "About?"

"Goten had to fly out to handle something with the divorce and Chi-Chi went along to meet the grandchildren. Apparently, Valese is asking for all sorts of money and being difficult about the visitation. They'll be back tomorrow morning."

Bulla frowned at this, sipping from her own mug of coffee. "Money? What for? Her parents run a successful business in North America." _I knew she was a no-good tramp._

"It's most likely out of spite, dear."

The younger girl scoffed at this. "Right...Spite. She totally had him for every year of children's lives and she has the right to be spiteful. Mom, I practically raised Xander on my own and I never asked for a dime from him. Her parents may not be as fortune as us but they don't need assistance...especially not from Goten."

"I know, Bulla. I know. Don't let it get to you though. I'll help Chi-Chi find a decent lawyer and all will be settled appropriately." She smiled reassuringly at her daughter.

"I won't." She smiled back before standing to her feet. "I should really get going. Xander has school tomorrow and I have a huge meeting with this other company."

"Sounds a lot like my life." Bulma winked and stood up as well, wrapping her arms around her daughter. "I love you, hun. Make sure you stop by again soon."

"Duh." Bulla chuckled and hugged her mother back. "I love you too."

* * *

A majority of the car ride home consisted of Bulla humming along to the radio and Xander staring out the window, yawning occasionally. She couldn't help but to glance over at him every now and then. It was sometimes hard to believe how much her little boy had grown.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of her mobile phone ringing and she sighed, sliding it from her purse to read the name on the screen-Goten.

"Who's that?" Xander turned his head, his eyes tired as he looked at his mother.

"Pan." The blue haired woman lied, pressing talk. "Hello? Uh-huh. I'll call you back."

* * *

_**Sorry for the long wait on this chapter! I've been a little busy but I wouldn't forget about this story! R&R please, lovelies!**_

_**~ Dbzgirlxo**_


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for the reviews and encouragement! It's appreciated and here's chapter ten of GUWX! Enjoy. :3

~DbzGirlxo

* * *

***dramatic background music* Last time on Growing Up With Xander;**

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of her mobile phone ringing and she sighed, sliding it from her purse to read the name on the screen - - Goten.

"Who's that?" Xander turned his head, his eyes tired as he looked at his mother.

"Pan." The blue haired woman lied, pressing talk. "Hello? Uh-huh. I'll call you back."

* * *

After making sure that Xander had fallen asleep, Bulla entered her bedroom and quietly shut the door behind her. She then took her mobile phone from her purse and dialed Goten's number, her heart racing. What was wrong with her? She was acting like a teenager who was sneaking around to see a forbidden boyfriend. That sure brought back memories for her.

"Hello?" Goten's voice came in, the sound of strong wind in the background.

"H-Hey." She began, thinking of what else to possibly add to that. "I was just returning your call. What's up?"

"Oh, oh Bulla! I'm glad you did." He chuckled goofily, almost like a lovesick teenager, himself. "I'm guessing Bulma told you that we were out of town...uh, out of country today. Our flight just got in, actually and uh...I was flying home. Could I see you?"

"It's three in the morning, Goten."

"I know, I know but I just...I really need somebody to talk to, Bulla. It's not your problem but we are friends, right?"

"I guess so..." The blue-haired woman bit down on her bottom lip. "Why can't you go see Trunks? He was looking forward to seeing you."

"I'll stop by tomorrow and see him. I'm sure he's busy with Pan, anyway. Just...Give me a few minutes, alright?"

"Ugh." She mumbled under her breath, digging her fingernails into the side of her mattress. "Fine! Twenty minutes. I'll text you my address and don't take too long. I'm tired and I have work tomorrow."

"Right. See ya!"

The heiress rolled her eyes and hung up, quickly sending him the address to her home. It was odd, really. The father of her only child had no clue where she had been living for the last few years. Then again, she had yet to see his new apartment either.

Sighing, she stood up from the bed and headed out of her bedroom, starting off down the staircase. Xander had always been a deep sleeper. It was hell just to get him up for school in the morning. She knew that she shouldn't have been sneaking around him but she couldn't bring herself to talk to him about this. She was the parent and sometimes parents made mistakes too, right? She was afraid he would hate her and she couldn't bear even the risk of that.

"The soap opera never ends." She mumbled and strolled into her kitchen, starting to brew a cup of coffee. It would definitely be needed for the next hour or so. Goten had never been a fan of coffee but he didn't have to have any of it. It wasn't her job to fulfill his wishes. He wasn't just any guest and she didn't plan on treating him as such.

_Knock Knock_

She jumped, nearly dropping the red coffee mug that was resting in between her hands. _Why are you so nervous, Bulla? It's just Goten. Get over it._ She calmly took a sip from her coffee and tip-toed over to the front door, pulling it open. "Hello."

"Heh, hi." Goten rubbed the back of his neck as he peered behind her. "It's a nice place."

"Thanks. You know me, I wouldn't just take anything." She smiled weakly and opened the door wider. "It's cold. Come on in."

"Right, right." Goten walked inside and shut the door behind him, continuing to look around before his dark eyes rested on the blue-haired girl in front of him. She was wearing a simple pair of red silk pajama pants and a black tank-top. Her blue locks were pulled into a messy bun and there was still a trace of lip gloss on her lips.

"Hello...Goten." Bulla waved a hand in front of his face before resting her hands on her hips. "Twenty minutes, remember?"

"Sorry..." He shifted his eyes away from her before sitting down on the sofa, patting the spot next to him.

Bulla considered taking the armchair on the opposite side of the room but decided that it would come off as rude and sat down beside the man, leaving some space between then. "Well?"

"Valese is trying to keep the kids from me..." He cleared his throat, staring at the girl beside him. "I don't know what to do, Bulla. I mean...I've missed out on so much of Xander's life and now she wants to take the girls away. I guess I probably deserve it after what I did to you two...I just...I don't know." He clenched his fist in frustration.

Bulla's eyebrows knitted together into a deep frown and she hesitantly moved a hand over to rest on his fist. "She can't do that, Goten. Let her try."

"I-I can't. How can you be sure?" He stared down at their hands, a look of shock clear in his face.

"There are laws. Believe it or not, the woman doesn't always get what she wants. My mom says that she's going to help Chi-Chi find a really good lawyer. You're their father, Goten. She can't change that."

"Remind me to thank Bulma." Goten sighed in relief, his body still tense as his eyes remained on their hands. "I'm sorry to throw this on you."

"You're not throwing it on me." She rolled her eyes and slowly moved her hand away. "I'm sure you know that if I didn't want to help, I definitely wouldn't."

And this was more than true. Bulla Briefs had never done anything she didn't want to do. She never felt obligated and it was something that the youngest Son boy had always loved about her. She was stubborn and determined.

"Good point..." He chuckled quietly in defeat. "I know that it can't be easy for you to talk to me, Bulla."

"It's not so hard anymore...I mean, I've had more than a couple of years to deal with it. I'm still angry at you sometimes but it won't fix it, Goten. There's no point in dwelling on it forever. Like I said, Valese can't change who the father of her children are...and neither can I."

"If you could..."

"Don't go there, Goten." She brushed a lock of hair from her eyes. "I'm not going to lie to you. I've thought about it sometimes, what it would have been like with another man. If I had gotten pregnant by somebody else, it wouldn't have been Xander. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I'm really proud of you, you know." The dark-haired man grinned slightly. "I remember when you were just my best friend's spoiled little sister who loved to get us into trouble. You've matured a lot and you've raised him on your own. You should be proud of yourself."

Bulla laughed a little. "Thanks, dork. I guess I have but you have to when you have babies running around. The first time he spit up on me, I almost lost it."

"I bet." He laughed along with her.

"Wait here!" She hopped to her feet. "I wanna show you something" And with that, she walked off, returning a minute or so later with a thick book in hand. "It's Xander's scrapbook."

"Cool." Goten peeked over to get a glimpse of it. "What's inside?"

"What's not inside?" She smirked, pulling the cover open. "I've pretty much documented every important moment since he was born. It was Pan's idea, actually. Here's his newborn pictures. He had so much hair, like it was unbelievable."

"I can see that." Goten chuckled and turned the page, pointing to another photograph. "What about this one?"

"Oh! His first shot. It was the worst day ever." She pouted, continuing with picture after picture. "First smile, first bath, first diaper rash, first tooth, first steps, first birthday." She took a breath. "Our trip to the zoo, Halloween, Christmas, first time trying solid food, he loved it. Do you see that gi? Pan got it for him on his birthday. He wouldn't take it off for weeks. And that!" The enthusiastic blue-haired girl pointed. "Trunks taught him how to ride a bike. It was the cutest thing ever and he was so stubborn, he refused to give up until he got it right."

"Sounds a lot like his mother." Goten teased.

"Shush." Bulla smiled and flipped a page to continue on with her pointing marathon. She was having a surprisingly good time with Goten. It felt like she was seventeen again, aside from the fact that they were looking through photographs of their child. She showed him every single thing that she could and the man didn't mind - - he was far too interested. In just a matter of thirty minutes, he was getting a glimpse into what he had missed through the years, from potty-training to his sixth grade dance.

After a while, they reached the most recent page which consisted of recent pictures of Xander, including his school portrait and a picture of him and Trunks sparring outside of Capsule Corp. The woman yawned as she closed the the album. "Well, now you sort of know what you missed out on."

Goten smiled slightly. "If only that fixed it." His eyes met hers. She was far too beautiful, she always had been.

"It's in the past." She stared back at him with tired eyes.

"You're exhausted...I should probably get going." He went to stand up but the woman grabbed his arm, pulling him back onto the couch.

"Stay. We'll watch a movie or something."

A grin spread over the half-saiyan's lips as he nodded. "Uh, sure!"

"Dork." She smiled in return and picked up the remote, flipping through the television channels. Despite the fact that her eyes were focused on the screen, her mind drifted back to Goten who was sitting silently beside her. It wasn't an awkward silence - not at all. It was calming and almost strangely comfortable. Little did she know that his mind was on her as well. At least not until he spoke again.

"I've missed you, Bulla. Heh...It's been a really long time."

The blunette smiled at this. "Truth? I've missed you too, as much as I don't want to admit it."

"Stubborn as ever." He chuckled and just stared at her for a moment, unaware that he was doing so.

"...Is there something on my face?" She blinked and tilted her head to the side, her blue locks falling just above her shoulders.

"No...Heh, sorry."

"Right..." Bulla smirked and clicked on a channel, smiling as she began to watch the movie onscreen.

* * *

The heat of the sun beating down on his face awoke Xander Briefs the next morning and he squinted his eyes before lazily falling out of bed with a light thud. "Ugh." He groaned and ran a hand through his hair before looking to the alarm clock on his dresser. _7:32 a.m. That was weird. _His mother usually woke him up at seven for school. "Great, I'm running late." He mumbled to himself and kicked the sheets aside before walking over to his closet. A t-shirt and jeans would do just fine._ I can skip a shower this morning_. He thought as he lifted his arms, sniffing to make sure. _Yeah, that's alright._ Xander got dressed, sprayed on some cologne, and combed his fingers through his hair before jogging downstairs.

The house was unusually quiet and he wondered if his mother had left without telling him. The familiar sound of plates clinking together and his mom's footsteps were replaced with the low volume of the t.v. and the morning traffic outside.

"Mom! Are you home?" He called and made his way through the kitchen, peeking his head in before heading off to the living room. As he walked closer, the sound of snoring could be heard. His mother wasn't a snorer.

"...Mom?" He called again, beginning to get a bit frustrated and worried. It was then that he walked into the living room to find a sight that he had never expected to find. His mother was indeed asleep on the couch but it wasn't her that was snoring obnoxiously. It was a man. His father. Goten. He glared at the two sleeping figures before dropping his backpack onto the floor to make some noise.

The woman stirred and her eyes fluttered before she quietly sat up and glanced at the man beside her, having not noticed her son's presence yet. The man's eyes fluttered as well and the snoring came to an abrupt stop as he sat up and stretched his arms above his head, yawning loudly. "Bulla? What time is it?"

"7:50." Xander cleared his throat and looked between the two again, the growing rage clear in his blue eyes. He picked up his backpack and swung it over his shoulder before walking out the front door and slamming it behind him.


	11. Chapter 11

Bulla rubbed her temples as she heard the front door slam. _Great_. She thought, her blue eyes puffy and clearly sad. This was the last thing she had wanted to happen. She should have had Goten leave last night before it was too late, before something like this happened. But it did and now she had to figure out how to handle it.

"I should go find him..." She glanced over at the man who was currently rubbing at his eyes, an expression of worry and guilt across his face.

"Let me." Goten lazily stood up and rubbed the back of his neck before staring down at the mother of his child. "This is my fault, Bulla. I'll talk to him."

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Goten..." She stood up and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "No offense but he's not exactly pleased with you..." She trailed off, dropping her hand at her side. "I'll just grab my car keys and head out."

"No." Goten shook his head, frowning deeply. He was serious. "I'll find him, Bulla. Relax." Without so much as another word or giving her the chance to protest, he walked out the front door and took off into the air.

_**Goten's POV;**_

_He couldn't have gotten too far...Man, I really screwed it up this time, didn't I? _Goten sighed and ran a hand through his spiked hairdo, letting it pop back up into place as he glanced around. Last night, he had actually began to think that things could work themselves out. That he and Bulla could settle their differences and get along. What did that help if his own son hated his guts? _I sense something...That's him alright. _Goten zoomed through the air for a moment or so, heading into the traffic-filled city. That was where he spotted him, sitting outside of the local arcade, his eyes focused on the ground below him. Hesitantly almost, the man landed and lightly cleared his throat._  
_

Without looking up, Xander spoke. "Go away."

"I can't do that..." Goten sighed and took a seat beside him, only to have the boy scoot inches over on the bench - away from him.

"Why the hell not? I don't want you here." He spat. "You were better off wherever you were before."

_Ouch_. "Look, Xander, I know that I haven't always been around. Alright? I know that you hate me and I know that I've missed a lot of stuff but I'm here now. Me and your mom are finally getting along and that means a lot to both of us, more than you know. I never meant t-."

"No!" Xander boomed, hitting the bench with his fist before he turned to glare at the older man. "You never meant to do anything, did you? You just don't get it! I'm not some five year old little kid that you can lie to anymore!"

"I'm not-." He began, only to be cut off again.

"You didn't miss a lot, Goten!" The man winced as his son used his name. "You missed everything! And that's not even the worst part. You could have stayed away...You could have let us be but you couldn't even do that! You just keep coming along and screwing everything up! You don't deserve my mom! You're going to hurt her again." His blue eyes burned with rage and Goten listened, honestly shocked at the outburst. "And what for? So that you can fuck around with her and then leave like before?"

He couldn't help it. It just happened and he regretted it as soon as it had happened. After the words had left young Xander's mouth, Goten's hand instinctively lifted and struck the boy across the face. His glare shifted into an expression of pure shock and he slowly rose a hand to his cheek, rubbing it as his glare returned even colder than before.

"Xander..." Goten began but Xander wasn't having it. He turned around and was about to storm off when the man grabbed his wrist, his strength clearly overpowering his son's who did attempt to jerk away. "I'm sorry. I can't let you leave until you listen to me." His black eyes which were much too similar to Goku's looked almost pleading, like he were begging. Being half Saiyan, Goten hadn't aged much over the years. He didn't look a day over thirty but there was a hint of tiredness in his eyes, one that had only grown over the last couple of years.

Xander felt no sympathy, though. If he had before, it was gone. This man had left him and his mother. He had another family and the two of them were basically strangers. He wanted nothing to do with him. He was furious. He wanted things to go back to the way they were before. His mom didn't need Goten in her life, at least in his mind she didn't.

"I can't fix the past, kid! I really wish that I could but I can't. When your mother got pregnant with you, I was young and stupid...more so than I am now." He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, the other occupied with holding Xander in place. "I love your mother and I love you too."

"You don't even know me!" Xander shot back, making another attempt to pull away.

"When you were five years old you told me that your favorite ice creams were chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, mint, and pineapple. In that order. You were full of energy and had a grin that reminded me of my own. You're stubborn as hell, like your mother and you've been looking out for her even before you were able to look out for yourself. You' shouldn't have had to do that. I should have been there and I know you're mad at me for it. You think you're so grown up, Xander but you're just a kid." The man released his wrist, taking a step back to slide his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Leave if you want to but if you change your mind and wanna give your old man a chance, I live in the apartments across from the bar you weren't supposed to be." Goten forced a grin.

"Whatever... I'm late for school." Xander who had been silent throughout the speech turned around and took off walking down the sidewalk, leaving the arcade and his father behind him.

* * *

Bulla shuffled into the bathroom with one golden earring in, tucking her hair behind her ear to push the other one into place. She then combed through her blue locks and sprayed on some sweet perfume that she had bought recently. Dressed in a red pencil skirt and white blouse, she sighed as she slipped on her heels. How irresponsible could she get? "You're not sixteen years old anymore, Bulla!" She placed her hands on her hips and stared at her reflection in the mirror. "You have to be more responsible. Xander needs you, the company needs you."

"Hello?" Goten called through the front door, knocking a few times as he poked his head in. "Are you still here, Bulla?"

"Ugh." She groaned and stomped off in the direction of the family room, stopping just inches from the man. "Oh, it's you."

He scratched his head. "...Who else would it be? Look, I'm sorry! I never meant to overstay my welcome."

"I'm just kidding, you moron." Bulla smiled before rolling her eyes. "You should seriously be sorry though. I overslept and missed my first meeting this morning. Not to mention what happened with Xander." Her facial expression switched to one of concern. "Did you find him?"

"He was at the arcade. We talked but I'm not sure it went well..." Goten stared at his shoes before looking back at the woman in front of him. "He's really ticked off."

"I think he's more hurt..." She tugged gently at her earring with a sigh. "Last night was lovely, really it was but we can't keep doing it if he feels this way, Goten. He's my son."

"He's my son too..." Goten frowned. "I'm not giving up on this. Don't give up on me."

"I won't." She folded her arms and mirrored his frown, a strand of hair falling into her face. "I should head to work and make sure that they haven't turned the place to chaos. "I'm going to talk to Xander over dinner tonight and I'll call you later on, okay?"

"Thanks." Goten nodded.

"Yeah, yeah." She pecked his cheek and hugged him quickly before stepping through the front door. "This is my house, you know. Come on!"

He chuckled and followed her out.

"How could I forget, princess?"

"Loser."

"Brat."

"Old man."

"Hey, that one's personal!"

"I know but let's face it, you sure are a lot older than I am." She winked and hopped into her car, heading off into the busy city streets, leaving her ex-lover behind her.

* * *

_**R&R, please and thank you! This chapter was a little short but the next one's going to be a real plot mover and the sooner you review with your thoughts, the sooner it'll be up. Thanks again!**_


End file.
